If Tomorrow Never Comes
by DKM
Summary: FINISHED 12 21 2006. Life for Lindsay Monroe has never been easy. But when tragedy strikes one of her colleagues in the field, will she be ready to face the harsh realities that come with it and find the strength to make amends with old demons?
1. Chapter 1

**_If Tomorrow Never Comes _**

By: DKM

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Danny/Lindsey

Synopsis: Life can change in the blink of an eye. Will Lindsey be ready for it?

Author's Note: This one's for you, Erin. Thanks for all your help.

Disclaimer: We all know the characters don't belong to me and I'm not making a profit, so quit your bitchin'! Same goes for the song!

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_Tomorrow is not promised to anyone  
Young or old alike  
And today might be the last chance  
You get to hold your loved one tight  
So if you're waiting for tomorrow  
Why not do it today?  
For if tomorrow never comes  
You'll surely regret it the rest of your days  
-Anonymous _

"East 45th and Madison, Montana! You're gonna miss it!" Danny Messer nearly yelled in his thick Staten Island accent at his coworker as she tried to navigate through the congested city streets of mid afternoon New York. "I knew I should have driven," he muttered as she made a quick turn onto their street and parked the black Chevy Avalanche just a few feet away from the Roosevelt Hotel, where their second case of the day was waiting.

"Oh, please, like you could have gotten us here any faster," Lindsey "Montana" Monroe retorted as she got out of the SUV and started to make her way towards the taped off area that was now almost devoid of police officers after grabbing her kit from the back.

"I'll let you off the hook for this one, considering you're still learning the ropes," he replied. "Maybe if you'd let me take you out once, you'd learn a little more quickly." That earned him a dirty look from the small woman as she grabbed hold of the yellow crime scene tape and held it over her head so she could step onto the sidewalk. Just as Danny was about to step under as well, she let it slip out of her hands, smacking him in the face and nearly knocking off his glasses. "Dammit, Lindsey! What the hell was that for?" Danny grabbed the tape and threw it over him so he could enter the crime scene.

"For being unable to take no as an answer," she shot back, her brows furrowed in an angry glare.

"Alright," Danny finally gave up. He was done trying to get her to go out with him, even though he knew, deep down, she was hiding her true feelings. "But one of these days, you're gonna realize you missed out on a good thing."

"Cocky bastard," Lindsey said under her breath as she threw her forensics kit on top of a newspaper dispenser and opened it hastily. She wanted this case to be over as soon as possible since lately spending time with Danny seemed more tense than ever, especially after she'd stood him up for a lunch date a few weeks back. Lindsey knew he had a crush on her, but she wasn't so easily persuaded by his not so subtle advances even though she did harbor some feelings for him that she'd probably never admit to again. Once was enough. Twice was pushing it.

"So, this guy fell off the tenth floor of the Roosevelt Hotel," Danny was saying as he knelt down beside the body and started to look for anything that might indicate a possible homicide. "I highly doubt he just jumped to his death. Look at his suit; Armani. He's also got a wad of cash in his pocket. The guy was living the good life." Lindsey glanced in his direction but wasn't paying much attention as she searched for a fresh pair of latex gloves. "Reminds me a little of Frogger," Danny continued, a grin shining on his face in the warm, midsummer sun.

Lindsey couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips as her mind rewound to her childhood and the now ancient games she used to play with her friends and family. Finally, she spotted her gloves and pulled out a pair. Getting ready to slip one onto her left hand, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. A quick turn gave her a full view of the car that was quickly approaching the crime scene. It was an indigo blue Chrysler Crossfire and it was coming up pretty quick; too quick, in fact. Lindsey's eyes widened when she realized that they were now in its direct path. "Danny!" she screamed.

Instincts told Danny to look up at her, but after seeing the panic-stricken expression on her face, he turned around to see the dark blue car heading straight for him. In an overwhelming urge to get away, he jumped to his feet, but reflexes weren't going to save him from the terrible fate that was about to befall him. Instead, Danny braced himself for impact just as the car hopped the curb. Before he could steel himself for the blow, the car's bumper made contact with his body, sending him head first into the windshield with a sickening crunch of glass and bones.

From her place beside the newspaper dispenser, Lindsey watched the scene play out as if it were in slow motion. A chill ran down her spine at the sound of the glass shattering, but her body went numb when she saw Danny roll over the roof and land a few feet from the trunk of the car on his back. It crashed into the side of the hotel a moment later with a loud bang, but she stood there, traumatized, too afraid to move. After a while, her chest started to burn, which is when she realized she'd stopped breathing.

Taking a deep, trembling breath, Lindsey tried to shake the horrible feeling that was now creeping into her body. She couldn't take her eyes off Danny's limp form and tried to blink several times to make sure that this wasn't just some God awful nightmare she was experiencing. "Danny," Lindsey called out to him, her voice sounding small and foreign in her ears. She took a step closer to the wreckage and her co-worker. "Danny," she said a little more loudly this time. When he didn't move, she broke into a full gallop and was at his side in seconds.

Falling to her knees, Lindsey placed her quivering fingers over a pulse point in his neck. The slow, steady beat of his heart told her that he was still alive, but just barely. She looked him over to find a large gash in his forehead that was bleeding profusely, staining the sidewalk red as blood trickled from the wound. She shed the light suit jacket she was wearing and placed it over the gash, hoping to stop the bleeding. With her free hand, she reached into her pants' pocket to grab her phone. After fumbling with it for a few moments, she finally got it open and pressed the first speed dial that connected her with the lab.

After three rings, she finally got an answer. "Bonasera."

"Stella!" Lindsey nearly screamed into the phone. Reality was setting in too fast for her and the instant she realized that Danny was laying beside her in a pool of blood, she lost it. Tears streamed down her face as sobs escaped her trembling lips.

"Lindsey?" Stella Bonasera replied, her gut telling her something was very wrong. She'd never heard anything even close to this come from the young woman on the other end of the phone and added, "Lindsey, what's wrong? Are you okay? Where's Danny?" A series of incoherent mumbles followed, prompting Stella to run out of the AV lab and make a mad dash for her boss's office. She found Mac Taylor sitting at his desk, case folder in hand. He looked up at her, slightly confused and intrigued. Stella put the phone on speaker and laid it on the desk so they could both hear what was going on.

"Oh, God!" Lindsey was sobbing as she rocked back and forth, wishing she would wake up from this nightmare.

"Lindsey, you need to calm down and tell me what's going on," Stella had composed herself now that she was in the presence of her boss. Mac continued to look at her, still puzzled by what was going on. She put her hand over the receiver and whispered, "I think something happened at the crime scene, but Lindsey's too hysterical to say anything."

"Danny…" It was the first coherent word that Lindsey choked out since the beginning of the phone call. Her voice trailed off, but Stella managed to make out the words, "hit by a car…" She glanced at Mac, her eyes wide with disbelief. The final blow came with, "bleeding to death."

"Oh, God," Stella said, her knees almost giving way she as found a chair and quickly sat down, hoping that Lindsey was only making it seem worse than it really was. But deep down, she knew it was that bad. Lindsey Monroe was a strong woman. It would have to take a lot to bring her to tears in such a distraught manner.

"Lindsey, where are you?" Mac finally spoke up, taking control of the situation.

"M-Madison a-and 45th," she stuttered.

"I'll be there soon," he replied, throwing the now forgotten case file on his desk as he stood up and grabbed the keys to another one of the crime lab's Avalanche's from the left drawer. "Stella, you're in charge until I get back," Mac called over his shoulder as he exited his office. "Stay on the line with Lindsey and try to calm her down. I'll call you when I have all the details."

Stella waved a limp hand in his direction, still a little shocked by what was going on. She grabbed the phone and turned off the speaker so no one else could hear what was going on. Without all the details, it was too soon to tell everyone what had happened.

Lindsey, on the other hand, had let the phone drop into her lap, completely forgetting that she was still on the line with anyone. Her focus remained on Danny, who lay motionless at her side. The jacket she had used to suppress the bleeding was now saturated with his blood. It seeped through onto her fingers as she continued to hold it in place. The wail of sirens in the distance was a comforting thought: help was on its way.

But there was no sigh of relief for Lindsey. Her mind had already begun to wander in the direction of "how could I have prevented this?" More tears streamed down her face as she gently whispered, "Oh, Danny… Why did I have to be such a stubborn bitch to you?" The hand that formerly held the phone now reached down and gently brushed a couple specks of dirt off his emotionless face. His paling skin felt cold against her fingertips. "Please don't die," she silently begged the heavens.

The wail of police sirens were now upon the scene, two ambulances and six police vehicles screeching to a halt in front of the hotel. Two paramedics hopped out of the first ambulance and rushed over to the driver of the car while the other two from the second ambulance made their way towards Lindsey. With her mind elsewhere, she didn't see either one of them coming until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Miss, could you please move?" the gentle voice of a woman tried to coax Lindsey away from Danny's side, but Lindsey wouldn't move. She wasn't about to leave him. He could die. The thought kept racing through her mind as the paramedic continued to try and coax her into moving away. "Miss, please, I'm here to help him," the woman tried again. She was becoming impatient.

Another hand found its way to Lindsey's shoulder, but this time the voice it belonged to was a familiar one. "Come on, Lindsey," Mac said, "you need to let the woman do her job." She looked up at him, her face puffy red with tear stained mascara running down her pale white cheeks. Her eyes glanced back down at Danny, not wanting to leave his side. Mac gave her a reassuring smile and extended his hand towards her even though it felt like his insides were being torn out after seeing the condition two of his best CSI's were in. "It's all right. Danny's in good hands," he assured her.

Lindsey finally tore herself away from her co-worker's side and grabbed her boss's hand. Mac pulled her up off the ground and was surprised when she turned and threw her arms around him, her head falling against his shoulder as she began to cry once again. Like a father comforting his distraught daughter, he pulled her close for a warm embrace and held her for a long while.

"This is all my fault," Lindsey chanted as she buried her face in Mac's jacket. He continued to hold her even though every molecule of his being wanted to ask her about that afternoon.

"Before we can place blame on anyone, you need to tell me what happened," Mac said as he pulled away from her in a gentle manner that suggested now was a good time to start talking.

Lindsey wiped the tears away from her eyes with the back of her shaking hand and sniffled. It took her some time to find the courage to speak up, but even that wasn't enough to make it coherent. "I… we were… the car came out of nowhere… I tried… but… but…" she rambled before bursting into tears again. "Oh, God, this is all my fault!" she bellowed, her head falling into her hands.

"How is it your fault, Lindsey?" Mac continued to question her, hoping that it would help her get past blaming herself and maybe shed some light on this mystery.

"I didn't see the car soon enough!" Lindsey screamed at him, angrier at herself than her boss. "If I had been paying more attention to my surroundings…"

"Lindsey, there was nothing you could have done to prevent this," Mac replied softly. He could see the possible reasons why she was taking it so hard, but the amount of emotion she was conveying gave him the impression there was more behind her mental anguish than just paying attention to her surroundings.

"I could have said something. I could have done something. I should have just told him. I shouldn't have kept this bottled up inside. I should have just told him everything. He only wanted one reason… Why couldn't I give him that reason? Why did I have to be so stubborn?" Lindsey continued to ramble.

Her latest outburst left Mac scratching his head. "What are you talking about?" he finally asked her.

"Nothing," Lindsey muttered, realizing what she'd just said. It was bad enough feeling responsible for what happened; she didn't need to feel like an idiot for making her real feelings known.

Downcast eyes told Mac that there was something more that she refused to admit. "Alright, when you're ready," he replied, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"His BP is dropping!" one of the paramedics suddenly yelled to her partner, prompting Lindsey and Mac to turn in their direction to find them working frantically to save their friend.

The lightheaded daze that Lindsey had been in for the last fifteen minutes was quickly returning as her knees turned to jelly. She leaned heavily into Mac's side, steadying herself against his body while her hand clamped over her mouth to hold in the scream that was threatening to escape it. Her tears returned with renewed vigor, shaking her body to the core.

"He's going into shock! His blood pressure is all the way down to 76/40. I've got an erratic pulse too! We need to get another bag of fluids pumped into him and .5mg of epinephrine. This is a potentially fatal situation; we need to get him to a hospital now! Come on people, move it!" the female paramedic ordered as she collared his neck and readied her team to load him on the stretcher. It didn't take more than a couple of moments to get Danny into the ambulance.

Lindsey turned to Mac once again, burying her face in his jacket, unable to watch the scene unfold in front of her. He wrapped a protective arm around her, hoping she'd be okay. There was one more thing he had to find out. "Where are you taking him?" he called to the paramedics just before they shut the door to the ambulance.

" St. Vincent's," the woman shouted back before slamming it closed.

The sirens blared again as Mac watched the ambulance rush away from the scene. He turned to Lindsey and said, "Come on, we're going to the hospital. I'll have Stella come down here and examine the crime scene." He nudged her towards his waiting SUV.

"Okay," Lindsey whimpered, following hesitantly.


	2. Chapter 2

Fifteen minutes passed then half an hour then an hour; Stella was becoming more and more terrified over what that dreaded phone call from Mac would entail. She knew it wasn't going to be good. If it took over an hour to respond, the odds were something horrible had happened. She stared at her phone, watching, waiting for it to light up with an incoming call from her boss, and hoping that it wasn't going to be so bad, that she was overreacting and that Danny was fine. But in the pit of her stomach, the dread had already set in and made a home for itself.

The time ticked on as Stella got lost in her thoughts, each one focusing on the possible outcomes the phone call would bring. The first had been Danny ending up in the hospital for a few days with a couple of broken bones and nothing to worry about. But the longer she waited, the worse her thoughts became. Her final one had started at the hospital with grave expressions on the faces of her coworkers and friends and the words, "I'm sorry, Stella…" Fortunately for her, just before the bad news was uttered, the phone on the desk began to ring.

Stella shot up, having used her right arm as a pedestal for her head while she thought. Her hand was almost numb, but she still used it to pick up the phone and looked at the caller ID. "Mac" it read, and immediately came her sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank God it's you," Stella said without even bothering with the normal pleasantries.

"Lindsey and I are at St. Vincent's. Danny's in surgery. The car did a number on him," Mac explained calmly. "The doctor says its touch and go right now. He has a fractured skull and swelling in the brain along with a compressed spinal cord, a punctured lung, a broken clavicle and tibia, and some nasty bruises along the left side of his face."

Stella's body began to tremble. A part of her didn't want to believe that this was Danny they were talking about. He'd always been careful. He'd never so much as cut himself, let alone been hit by a car. But she didn't have much time to collect herself as she heard the door to Mac's office open. Looking up quickly with large, shiny eyes, she saw Sheldon Hawkes walk in with a file in his hand.

"Mac, I've got the…" he started to say until he found Stella sitting at his boss's desk instead. "Where's Mac?" Hawkes immediately asked. Stella held up a shaking finger to tell him to be quite. He quickly sensed that something was very wrong. Stella had never looked so trouble in all the years he'd known her.

"I want you, Flack, and Hawkes at that crime scene as soon as possible," Mac continued, not knowing that Hawkes was waiting for Stella to get off the phone. "Lindsey is still too shook up to answer any of my questions."

"Oh, God, I completely forgot about Lindsey!" Stella replied, her voice slightly cracking when she realized that the poor girl had seen the accident happen. "Is she alright?"

"She's fine, just very shook up. I'll keep trying to get her to talk, but you get to the crime scene and start processing. I want something by the time I get back," Mac ordered. "Remember, this is not just one crime scene, but two."

"Alright, we'll keep each other posted," Stella answered before hanging up.

"What happened to Lindsey?" Hawkes immediately questioned, having only heard her end of the conversation.

Stella looked up at him with her sad green eyes, unable to bring herself to explain the situation, but knowing that she needed to. "There's been an accident," she grimly said. "Danny was hit by a car this afternoon and is in surgery right now at St. Vincent's. Lindsey witnessed the whole thing, but she's too shook up to tell anyone what happened. Mac is with her at the hospital right now. He wants us to go over to the scene of the accident and find out as much as we can."

Hawkes stood there for a moment, taking it all in before hesitantly answering, "Are they going to be okay?"

"Lindsey should be fine, but they don't know about Danny yet. Mac said it was touch and go," Stella answered as she breathed in a deep sigh, hoping it would get rid of her urge to burst into tears. She stood up from the desk and began to make her way out of the office towards the lab. Now was a good time to call an emergency meeting and tell everyone else the sketchy details.

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Happy Wednesday!! Just thought I'd get this next chapter posted today so you guys had something to nibble on before tonight's ep. Hehe.

I am absolutely overwhelmed by all the wonderful reviews I've received after posting this story and I can't thank you all enough! You guys are totally awesome! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!

To everyone: Sorry to leave you guys hanging. I've only just begun this story, so don't expect anything short of nail biting from now on. I don't mean to kill you with suspense, it's just the way the story goes. I'm just glad you're enjoying it enough to write back and tell me how I'm doing. I really REALLY appreciate it. Thank you AGAIN!

To my beta, prplerayne: Thank you. This story wouldn't be possible without your neverending encouragement and your belief in my work. You're one of the few people that have supported me through all my years of writing fan fiction. Thank you so much! Luv ya, girl! My condolences about your grandma. May God give you the strength to get through this time and become stronger than you alread are. All my love. -D


	3. Chapter 3

The private hospital waiting room was dark and quite, probably the only good thing about it. Lindsey sat curled up with her arms wrapped around her knees and chin resting on her kneecaps in an uncomfortable old gray chair at the far corner of the dimly lit stark white room. She'd stopped crying hours ago, instead sniffling every once in a while. Not a word had come from her mouth as she sat there staring at the worn gray-green carpet. Her thoughts took twists and turns, replaying the last conversation she'd had with Danny and wondering what she could have said or done differently in order to prevent the accident from happening.

'I could have been a little more open to his advances. I could have joked around with him. I could have just ignored his comments. Oh, I don't know! I don't know anymore! I should have just told him that I didn't want to get involved with another coworker because I knew the complications that would come if the relationship went sour. But, NO! I had to be stubborn and stupid. I had to tell him that I did have feelings for him, but that I couldn't do this. That I had things I needed to sort out. God, I'm so fucking stupid,' Lindsey silently berated herself.

"Coffee?" Mac asked, making her nearly jump out of her seat. He sat down in the chair beside her and extended one of the two cups of coffee he'd brought from the cafeteria. She gingerly grabbed the offered cup and took a small sip of the warm liquid. It wasn't as good as the stuff they made at the lab, but it would do for now. "So, are you ready to tell me what happened or do you still need time?" he added.

Lindsey sighed deeply as she stared into her coffee cup. As much as she didn't want to relive the past few hours' events, she knew she had to tell her boss what happened. It was all part of their job, and being the only eyewitness to the whole thing, it was her responsibility to put the person who'd done this to her friend behind bars.

"Danny and I were at the crime scene," Lindsey began. "We had only been there a few minutes. I was standing by the newspaper dispensers a few feet away from the dead body on the sidewalk while Danny was kneeling down looking for trace. I needed to grab some gloves out of my kit so I could start processing with him, so I put it on one of the dispensers. I was just about to put one of my gloves on when out of the corner of my eye I saw something shiny coming towards us." She paused for a moment, using the back of her hand to wipe away a couple of tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. "When I looked up, there was the car bearing down on the crime scene headed straight for the curb. I yelled to Danny, but it was too late. He jumped up, but the car was already over the curb. The last thing I remember was seeing Danny hit the windshield, and… and…" Lindsey couldn't keep going. She burst into tears as the last few seconds of the accident replayed in her mind with vivid detail.

Mac wrapped his arms around her and said, "Its okay," over and over while she continued to cry against his chest.

"I told you this was all my fault!" Lindsey bawled. "If I'd put my damn gloves in my coat pocket…"

"Then you might have also been hit," Mac finished, not wanting her to place anymore blame on herself for something she had no control over. "It was an accident, Lindsey. There was nothing you could have done differently to prevent it."

"Bull shit!" she cried out, pushing away from him and pulling her knees to her chest as she began to rock back and forth. "That damn car should have hit me! I'm the one who deserved it! Not Danny!" Lindsey buried her face in her knees and continued to cry.

Mac stared at the small woman, realizing this was the second time she'd managed to confuse him that afternoon. But before he could ask her what she meant, the door to the waiting room opened and a young doctor wearing blue scrubs walked in, his blood stained mask hanging from his neck like a proud medal of honor. He stepped up to both of them and said, "Detectives, I'm Dr. Doug Stewart, Chief Surgical Attending."

Immediately, Mac stood at attention, just as he'd learn in his Marine days, and firmly shook the doctor's hand. "Detective Mac Taylor," he introduced himself. The doctor took his hand and looked at the small woman sitting in the seat next to him "This is Lindsey Monroe. She was with Danny at the time of the accident." Hearing her name being spoken, Lindsey looked up at the doctor with her sad, empty chocolate brown eyes.

"I would like to discuss Detective Messer's condition with you," Dr. Stewart told the pair.

"Danny; his name is Danny," Lindsey corrected him quietly.

"Danny," the doctor repeated with a warm smile towards the cowering little woman, not offended at all. He could clearly see that she was very upset.

Mac followed his gaze and suggested, "Why don't we talk over there," as he pointed to a spot across the room near the door and far from Lindsey's range of hearing. The doctor nodded in agreement and headed towards the door as Mac turned his attention to the young woman. "I'll be right back," he told her, gently squeezing her shoulder before walking towards the doctor.

"Sorry about that. She saw the accident happen and Danny is one of her best friends. She's still pretty upset and I don't want to risk upsetting her further," Mac explained as he walked up to the doctor.

"I understand completely. Seeing such a thing can be traumatic for a person. Is she going to be okay or should she see a doctor too?" Dr. Stewart asked as he looked past Mac and observed Lindsey while she sat balled up in the chair staring at the carpet in front of her.

"I think she'll be okay, but I'll let you know if she needs anything," Mac answered, glancing back at Lindsey to make certain she was okay. "So, how is my other detective doing?" he asked, shifting their conversation to the reason they were here in the first place.

"Danny is stable," the doctor replied. "We managed to get the internal bleeding under control and patched up his left lung. We'll be monitoring his head injury for the next 24 hours to make sure there's no more swelling in the brain. If it gets any worse, we might have to operate. We'll have him in recovery as soon as we finish stitching him up. Danny is one lucky guy. I rarely see anyone get through surgery after an accident like this. We'll be wheeling him into ICU within the next hour, which is when I'll come and get you guys so you can see him."

"That's good to hear, Doctor. Thank you," Mac said as he shook the doctor's hand once again before he headed back into the operating room.

"How's Danny?" Lindsey poked her head up from her knees when she saw the surgeon leave the room.

"He's doing okay. We'll be able to see him soon," Mac answered with a reassuring smile. He could see the color return to her face and a slight hint of a smile curling up on her lips. She let out a deep sigh of relief as she let her head fall back down against her knees. The rest of her body seemed to relax as well.

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Thank God it's Friday... I don't think I coulda handled another day of this week... It's been the week from HELL! Everything that could possibly go wrong, did, and not to mention, everything I could screw up and get in trouble for, I did as well. The only thing that got me through it was the wonderful comments you guys sent me. Thank you so much! I hope you've got some more encouraging words, cuz I'm feeling really low right now. I barely managed to finish this next installment for y'all, which is prolly why it's so short. Sorry about that. But thanks again for all your support. I can't appreciate it more. You guys are definitely a wonderful bunch. I've got a few wallpapers up on my profile page that you can check out, kinda like my present to you for being so wonderful. Hehe. Thanks again. Have a great weekend and enjoy the story! More coming soon!

-DK


	4. Chapter 4

The silence was deafening in Don Flack's police cruiser as he, Stella, and Hawkes made their way to the scene of Danny's accident. Neither had spoken a word since Stella's emergency meeting back at the lab, and it didn't seem like neither wanted to. The sadness and disbelief hanging in the air was so thick you could cut it with a butter knife. All three were staring in different directions, lost in their own thoughts. It wasn't until Flack's cell phone began to ring did the silence finally end. They jumped at the sudden noise with Flack grabbing the phone off the dash and answering, "Yeah?"

Several moments of silence followed as Flack's face turned from showing absolutely no emotion to complete and utter rage. "Son of a bitch!" he muttered several times before finally saying, "Thank you," and hanging up. He angrily threw the phone back onto the dash before running a shaky hand through his dark hair and turning to the others. "You're not gonna like this," he said, "but HQ has the guy that ran Danny over. They brought him straight from the hospital. There wasn't a scratch on him! And his BAC was three times over the legal limit!"

"What the hell was this guy doing getting that drunk at two in the afternoon?" Stella asked to no one in particular.

"I guess we'll have to wait until later to find out, we're here," Flack replied as he pulled up to the curb which was now swarming with cops and reporters.

"We'll take the crime scene, you take the reporters," Hawkes added as he stepped out of the cruiser and headed for the sealed off area, which was now much bigger and included at least half the block along with the street.

"That's not fair," Flack retorted, finding that he was now alone in the cruiser. "I always get stuck with the reporters," he grumbled.

Stella joined Hawkes just outside the crime scene tape where the two were quickly taken aback by the amount of damage the little blue sports car had done to the side of the hotel. There was now a six foot by six foot hole that you could see into the building through, and the little car's front end was a tangled mass of metal and glass. Blood appeared to be everywhere, especially in one dark spot about three feet from the truck of the car; Danny's final resting place after the accident.

Stella slowly began turning a pale shade of white, trying to absorb everything too fast. "Oh, Danny…" she whispered before she closed her eyes for a moment to let it all sink in, then took a deep breath and stepped beneath the crime scene tape. Hawkes followed soon after, also in quite shock that one of his best friends and colleagues could have been so brutally run over by a drunk driver.

Flack, on the other hand, was stuck in his own personal hell, having to deal with the press and answering as few of their questions as possible about what happened today. "No comment," was all he told them before turning around and making is way beneath the crime scene tape to join Stella and Hawkes. After taking one look at the car and the pool of blood, his anger rose once again. "God damn it!" he nearly yelled, hoping the news cameras hadn't caught his outburst.

"Take a number," Stella replied. She'd already slipped on her gloves and was kneeling beside the pool of blood behind the car. Seeing Lindsey's jacket lying there also covered in blood made the lump in her throat grow. It was hard having to stand there and take everything in all at once. She just wanted to go to the hospital and see Danny then make sure Lindsey was okay.

"I swear, if I ever see this guy, I'm gonna kill him," Flack said, balling his fingers into a fist. He desperately wanted to hit something, in particular, some _one_. But he used all that built up rage to help Stella and Hawkes process the crime scene.

All three picked through every piece of shattered glass and debris, making sure they had all their bases covered for both cases. After almost five hours of nitpicking, they were finally satisfied with the amount of evidence collected. The news stations along with their reporters and cameras had left for bigger stories elsewhere, while a couple of newspaper columnists remained, still looking for a few more juicy tidbits to put into their stories for the next morning's paper.

As they made their way back to Flack's police cruiser, Stella's phone began to ring. She handed several evidence bags to her colleagues before reaching into her pocket and answering the small device. "Bonasera," she said.

"Stella, it's me," Mac replied. She stopped in her tracks as the other two walked ahead, only noticing that she was behind them when they reached the cruiser. They turned to stare at her wondering what was going on.

"Mac, how's Danny?" Stella immediately asked, her heart racing until she got an answer.

"He made it through surgery," Mac told her. "They'll be taking him to ICU soon, so hopefully within in the next half hour we'll be able to go in and see him."

A deep sigh of relief passed between Stella's lips as she felt her heartbeat began to slow to a more normal pace. "Oh, thank God," she almost whispered.

"How are you doing at the crime scene?" Mac questioned.

"We just finished collecting evidence. There's a lot that needs to be processed at the lab since this is technically two cases. I think as soon as Night Shift gets there, we'll hand the cases off to them and come see Danny," Stella replied, making her way to the cruiser where Flack and Hawkes were still standing outside hoping to hear some of the conversation.

"The doctor just walked in and is motioning for Lindsey and me to follow him. I think he's taking us to Danny," Mac said as he was about to hang up.

"How's Lindsey doing, anyway?" Stella stopped him.

"She calmed down and told me what happened. I'll give you the details when you get here. I'll see you soon," he answered.

The line went dead before Stella had a chance to respond. She put her phone back into her pocket and looked at Flack and Hawkes. "Danny made it through surgery. They're taking him to ICU now," she told them.

"What a relief," Hawkes replied.

"Now that's a big weight off my shoulders," Flack added before the three of them hopped into the cruiser and sped off back to the lab.

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My life is shit. Sorry... I haven't been having a good week... again... It just seems like everything falls apart during the holidays and I have no control over it. I tried to write, and I think this was the best I could do. Please don't be mad. Hopefully in a day or two I'll have something else to share with you. I just wish my head would stop spinning and the world would get off my back. Anyone aside from prplerayne having just as crappy a week as I am? If so, hit me up. We'll commiserate together.

Anyway, that's not what this part of my chapter is for. I should be thanking those of you who are sending me comments and keeping my spirits up, although I wish more of you would. I need all the support I can get at a time like this. So, for those of you who have stopped in and dropped me a line, thank you so much. And to those of you who have been reading and not reviewing, thank you as well. I see all the hits this story gets every day and I can't help but say I'm overwhelmed. Thank you all so much. Have a Happy Thanksgiving for those of you who celebrate it, and for those of you who don't, have a great day none the less. Cheers!

-DK


	5. Chapter 5

"Let's go, Lindsey," Mac gently coaxed the small woman into a standing position even though she seemed hesitant to get up.

"Mac, I don't know if I can do this," Lindsey's voice came out small and child like as she gazed up at him with glossy, terrified chocolate brown eyes. He took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze before leading her out of the waiting room and into the hall where Dr. Stewart was waiting for them. They followed him through the long corridor of seemingly endless swinging doors until they got to a set of elevators at the end.

"He's on the third floor, room 3591," Dr. Stewart said as he pressed the up button. They anxiously waited for what felt like an eternity until the doors slid open. A few people walked out before they stepped inside and Dr. Stewart pressed the number 3 on the keypad. It wasn't long before the elevator slowly ascended, taking them closer and closer to their fallen colleague.

With each passing floor, Lindsey began to feel more and more apprehensive about seeing Danny. Her heart was racing by the time they reached the third floor and the doors opened to reveal a dimly lit corridor lined with several rooms to either side, each with its own little curtained observation window. Dr. Stewart stepped out first, followed by Mac. Lindsey remained, her fear almost paralyzing. Mac gently took her hand and squeezed it again, this time adding a warm smile in hopes that it would give her a little more courage. "It's alright," he whispered to her.

Lindsey bit her lip and hesitantly stepped out of the elevator, holding onto Mac's hand as if it were a lifeline. She cowered behind him as the doctor led them down the hall until they reached door 3591. "Ready?" Dr. Stewart asked before opening the door. Mac nodded while Lindsey continued to look down at the blue and white linoleum tiled floor.

With a small "whoosh," the door swung open. Mac stepped in first as the doctor held it open for him. He tugged Lindsey's hand to get her to move, but she refused the first time. After a reassuring glance back at her, she followed him inside the darkened room.

The faint beep of the heart monitor and the mechanical rise and fall of the ventilator were the first things Lindsey picked up on the deeper she stepped into the room. Her eyes had a hard time adjusting to the solitary fluorescent light illuminating the room in an eerie, otherworldly glow that made her heart race even faster. She already disliked hospitals with a passion, this just served to make her hate them more. It was that impending image of death that always got to her. Slowly, she began to make out Danny's figure lying on the bed only a few feet away from her.

Lindsey froze mid-step when her eyes fully adjusted and she saw just how bad he really looked. The entire left side of his usually handsome face was swollen black and blue to the point where she could barely recognize him. White surgical gauze encircled his head, hiding his short, dirty blond hair but not the stitches that pieced together the large wound he'd sustained from the impact with the windshield. A long white tube ran past his almost colorless lips and down his collared throat, helping him breathe.

The longer Lindsey stood there, the paler her skin turned. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. If it hadn't been for the wires that crisscrossed his body and the slow, rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, she could have sworn Danny looked like a corpse in the city morgue. The moment that final thought crossed Lindsey's mind, she completely lost it. "NO!" she bellowed, sobs overtaking her body as she let go of Mac's hand and slowly backed out of the room into the hallway, her eyes never leaving the bed. "No!" she cried again as her back slammed against the wall.

Realizing she couldn't go back any further, Lindsey bolted to the left, her sobs echoing down the hall as she ran away from the room as fast as she could. Having to see Danny so close to death made her resentful towards herself for all the things she'd said and done to him over the past few weeks ever since she stood him up for lunch. Every time he asked her why, she clammed up, refusing to answer and changing the subject to something a little safer. He made no big deal about it, but Lindsey knew it hurt him on the inside. That pain resonated in his ocean blue eyes every time she looked into them. She'd already broken him with her words, and now she'd managed to break him with her actions.

With her mind elsewhere, Lindsey couldn't see that she was about to hit a dead end. It was the impact with the wall at the end of the hall that finally made her stop. She fell to the ground, her body aching from the collision with the concrete, but that didn't stop her crying. Curling up in a little ball, her heartbreaking sobs continued to echo down the hall making several doctors and nurses glance in her direction with concern.

Mac and Dr. Stewart helplessly watched as the scene unfolded before them. They were quick to follow Lindsey down the hall until she hit the wall, which was when the doctor called for one of the nurses to bring him a sedative while Mac knelt down beside her in an effort to comfort her as she lay weeping on the floor. Nothing about her reaction was making sense to him. He'd always seen Lindsey as a pillar of strength, one of the many reasons he'd brought her to New York in the first place. But the unusual way she was handling Danny's accident alerted him that there was something he might have overlooked in her psych evaluation.

Now was not the right time to ask questions, though. Dr. Stewart was approaching, syringe in hand, to sedate Lindsey before she had a complete mental breakdown. She didn't struggle when the doctor took her arm and tapped two of his fingers against the vein of her inner elbow. Neither did she flinch when he stuck the needle into her skin and administered a low dose of the sedative. In less than a minute, Lindsey was calmly laying on the floor, her sobs having all but stopped as the drug did its work. Another minute went by and she was out for the count.

Ever so gently, Mac scooped up the small, listless woman and carried her back to Danny's room, laying her in an empty chair near the window. Dr. Stewart and a nurse came in a few minutes later with a pillow and a blanket, helping to situate her so she was in a more comfortable position. "She'll be asleep for a couple of hours," the young doctor said as he turned to Mac. "The .5mg of Ativan I gave her should keep her calm after she wakes up. She'll be a little groggy, though, so someone might have to drive her home."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks again, Doctor," Mac replied as he took a seat beside Lindsey while Dr. Stewart and the nurse exited the room. He glanced over at the sleeping young woman and began to wonder what had prompted her sudden outburst just a few minutes earlier. Lindsey did tend to get hung up on certain cases that involved young women raised in small towns far from the city, but nothing as dramatic as this. What had he missed, he began to wonder. Why was she so attached to Danny?

Having worked with both of them for over a year now, Mac began to pick out all the bits and pieces of their working relationship, from Danny's relentless teasing in calling Lindsey "Montana" and Lindsey's ability to keep Danny in line. The two of them seemed to click whenever they were working in the lab. 'Well, I'll be damned,' Mac thought when he finally put two and two together. 'They like each other, don't they?'

The thought brought both closure and worry. On one hand, Mac had figured out why Lindsey was acting so unlike herself, but on the other, he realized just how impractical and complicated a relationship with a coworker could be. He knew it'd be a double standard if he forbade them to see each other, especially after he'd also crossed that line with the new ME. Mac sighed; this was something he could afford to forget right now. There were more pressing matters on his mind.

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OMG! Oh, you guys! Awwww!!! I feel so LOVED! Thank you sooooooooo much for all your wonderful comments! I can't tell you how much they've meant to me, to my writing, to my inspiration. Seriously, I thought I was not going to get this next chapter finished, but all your kind words and well wishes have made my horrible week MUCH better! Please, keep them coming! It's how I manage to get from one chapter to the next without losing my mind.

So many wonderful people. So few words... I seriously don't know what to say. Leanne, the next time I'm feeling like shit, I'll definitely email you. Thanks so much for being so kind. And all the others... there are just so many names on that list I can't even begin to call them out one by one, but I'll try! Starting from way back when... Andy, notesofwimsey, I Can Hear the Sea, xbexyboox, KatKnits00, chili-peppers, Mystik225, crazy-chick07, melanie g, Miss Higher Power, oddie33325, Liffey, Dybdahl, peanut2lb, crashdownmontana, bookwrangler, and, of course, two of my best buds who have been around since well before CSI:NY, simbagirl and prplerayne. You are all AMAZING people! Thank you so much! I hope to add more names to this list soon, because I know there are so many of you who are reading and not reviewing, but have put me in their favorites or in their author alerts. You guys TOTALLY rock!!

About this chapter... I know, kinda crazy, hehe. But don't worry, there's a method to my madness, or should I say Lindsey's madness. LoL! All will be revealed in time, my dears. In time. You'll see where this meltdown leads. I hope you enjoyed it. Please, comments are encouraged, so send them. They keep my muse fed and ready to write.

Luv you all! And more coming soon!

-DK


	6. Chapter 6

Stella rubbed her eyes with the back of her latex gloved hand, her work in the lab nowhere near done. She'd been processing the glass from the windshield, piecing together the moment of impact to determine just how fast the driver had been going when he hit Danny. Her early estimates went as high as 50mph, but she still hadn't factored in the tread marks left on the sidewalk and on the street. A soft knock against the paned glass door startled her out of her thoughts and she looked up to find Hawkes walking in.

"You know, it's past nine," he mentioned, having already taken off his lab coat and put on a light evening jacket.

"Sorry, I didn't realize just how fast time had flown by. I guess I got lost in my work," Stella answered with a small smile. She pulled off her gloves and placed them on the light table then began to take off her lab coat. "You wanna head out to the hospital now?" she added, throwing it over a chair.

"That's what I was just about to ask you. Flack called and said he'd meet us there later on tonight. He still needs to wrap up another case before he's done for the day," Hawkes returned her smile as he grabbed hold of the door and pulled it open, waiting for her to walk through first.

"Thank you," Stella softly replied before heading to the locker room to retrieve her purse and jacket. "I'll see you in a minute. We'll take my car." And, true to her word, Stella was downstairs in the parking garage a few minutes later, keys to her black Lexus LS in hand. The drive to the hospital was short and silent, both having plenty on their minds after such a harrowing day at the lab. Mac hadn't called with anymore updates, making Stella a little uneasy about what she'd find at the hospital when they got there. She was afraid for Danny, and even more so for Lindsay. There was nothing more traumatic than having to watch someone you cared for get hurt. 'Poor girl will be in therapy for the rest of her life if he doesn't make it,' she silently thought to herself as she pulled into the parking garage across the street from St. Vincent's.

Stella paused for a moment before turning off the car. The fear was beginning to creep up on her again as she held on to the steering wheel. Taking a deep breath, she finally turned off the engine and opened her door, feeling the cool Manhattan breeze rustle through her curly dark locks. She looked to her right and saw that Hawkes was already out of the car, prompting her to shut her door and turn on the alarm. They walked inside moments later, and their badges were enough to grant them access to almost anywhere they wanted. The nurse at the front desk had been very helpful and pointed them towards the ICU after giving them Danny's room number.

"Well, here goes," Stella said when they reached the elevators and pressed the up button. Her heart was now fluttering just as Lindsay's had while she waited here several hours earlier. When the doors opened, Stella let out another deep sigh as she stepped into the confined space and pressed three. Another wave of apprehensive anticipation washed over her when the doors opened to their floor and she stepped into the dimly lit hallway now made darker by the night.

Slowly, the pair walked down the long corridor, their shoes echoing softly, until they reached room 3591. "Here we are," Hawkes announced, glancing at Stella as they both stood at the closed door, neither one wanting to grab the handle and open it. They stared at each other for another moment before Hawkes finally took the handle and slowly pushed it down, opening the door to reveal the dimly lit room behind it.

Mac quickly looked up when he heard the door open, but wasn't surprised when he saw the visitors. "Good evening," he softly greeted them with a weary smile. Having Lindsay's head lying on his shoulder made it hard to do much else without waking her.

"Hi," Stella and Hawkes replied in unison.

"Looks like someone is finally getting some well deserved rest," Stella said as she stepped closer to his chair and saw Lindsay sleeping against his shoulder. A warm smile came to her lips seeing the peaceful expression on the younger woman's face.

"Yeah, the doctor had to sedate her when she finally lost it after seeing Danny," Mac answered, stretching just a bit before adjusting his shoulder so Lindsay's neck wasn't at such a strange angle.

The smile disappeared from Stella's face upon hearing that news. Her heart ached for the young woman. She'd been through more than she could handle that day, and it finally caught up to her. "Here, I'll take her," Stella offered, motioning for Mac to get up so she could replace him as Lindsay's makeshift pillow. "You look like you need a break."

"Thank you," Mac graciously replied as he slowly pulled himself away from the petite woman while Stella delicately held her head in her hands. As soon as he was free, he took up holding Lindsay as Stella sat down in the previously occupied chair. Mac laid Lindsay's head against her shoulder and fully stretched out now. His stiff muscles finally gave way to relief as he looked down at the two women sitting side by side. "The doctor said she should be up soon. He didn't give her all that much, just enough to knock her out for a couple of hours and keep her calm once she woke up," he informed Stella.

"Poor kid," she sighed, gently running her hand over the top of Lindsay's disheveled locks.

"I think I finally figured out why she's been acting so strange," Mac said. Stella gazed up at him as he added, "I think she might have feelings for Danny that go beyond a working relationship."

"Wait, you're just figuring this out now?" Stella answered back. She'd known for a while that Danny and Lindsay had feelings for each other. Having overheard one of their conversations a few weeks back that included Lindsay actually admitting to having feelings for him but being unable to act on those feelings for personal reasons gave Stella all the more reason to feel sorry for her. "I thought you'd be the first one to figure it out."

"Obviously not…" he retorted. "How long have you known?"

"A few weeks now; ever since that case involving the dancer speared by the icicle," she answered.

Mac looked at her thoughtfully for several long moments before he said, "It makes sense," and dropped the whole conversation before it went any further. "I think I'll grab some coffee. Anyone else want any?"

"I'll come with you," Hawkes quickly replied, feeling uneasy after overhearing Mac and Stella's conversation about Danny and Lindsay's feelings towards each other. He wasn't about to say he also knew, fearing it would only get him in trouble. It was better to let it drop than have to drag it out, especially for Lindsay's sake.

"Bring me back some," Stella softly called to them as they made their way out of the room.

When the door shut with a light click of the latch, she turned her attention to Danny and finally saw the extent of his injuries. At first, she couldn't believe that this was even him laying there in the hospital bed. The last time she'd seen him was that morning; he had looked so happy and full of life. Now, he'd been reduced to what seemed like a vegetable. His body was stiff and rigid, there was no expression on his handsome face, and he looked so lifeless and vulnerable. No, this wasn't the Danny Messer she knew. It couldn't be him.

For a moment, Stella wanted to beg for this to be someone else she was staring at, and that Danny was perfectly fine, but that moment faded when she realized that this really was him, and that someone had done this to him. Her anger began to bubble up when she started to think about the crime scene and having to see all that blood, then finding out this was the fault of a drunk driver. 'Fucking bastard,' Stella angrily thought, breathing in deep to get her rage under control. It was a tough thing to do, especially when she glanced down at Lindsay.

Stella gripped the armrest of the chair until her fingers turned white and her hand went numb, which was when she finally realized that no matter what she did or how angry she got, nothing was going to take away what had happened that day. At least she could take comfort in the fact that her friend was still alive.

"Keep fighting, Danny," Stella whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away with her hand when she felt Lindsay take a deep breath and start to wake up on her shoulder.

"Mmmm," the younger woman groaned, her hand falling against her face to wipe away the imaginary cobwebs.

"Hey, sleeping beauty," Stella said when she turned to her friend.

Lindsay lifted her head off Stella's shoulder and sleepily glanced around to check out her surroundings. "Where am I?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned deeply.

"You're at the hospital," Stella gently answered, hoping she wouldn't freak out even though Mac had told her the drugs in her system would keep her calm even after she woke up.

Lindsay's eyes widened as it all quickly came back to her. "Oh, God," she whispered, her face falling into her hands, making Stella think she was going to start crying again.

"Oh, hey, don't do that. Everything's okay now," she wrapped her arm around her friend and tried to comfort her.

"I'm alright," Lindsay replied as she picked up her head, her face expressionless. "I'm just…" She left her sentence hanging when her eyes caught sight of Danny lying in the hospital bed. A frown graced her pale pink lips as her face darkened.

"What's wrong, Lindsay?" Stella softly asked when she saw the expression on her face.

Lindsay wasn't listening. Instead, she stood up slowly, her legs feeling unsteady from the drug still coursing through her system, but that didn't discourage her from slowly walking towards the bed. She stopped when she found herself standing at Danny's side. Her hand reached out and gently brushed up against his. The coldness that had been there earlier was gone, replaced by a soothing warmth. A deep sigh of relief escaped her lungs as she locked her fingers with his and continued to stand there just staring at him.

From her chair at the foot of the bed, Stella watched the touching moment with intent. She could clearly see that Lindsay's feelings for Danny ran deeper than she could have imagined. A smile turned up the corners of her lips when she realized just how much he meant to the young woman. She stood up and made her way to Lindsay's side until she brushed against her shoulder. Lindsay glanced up at her, a small smile finally gracing her pretty face.

"You love him, don't you?" Stella probed.

Lindsay sighed. "I don't know if 'love' is the word I'd use to describe it," she candidly answered as she looked up at the only person she could trust with this kind of information. "Promise me that whatever is said in this room stays between you and me." Lindsay held up her free hand, her pinky pointed outward as she waited for an answer.

"I promise," Stella replied, locking pinkies.

"How do you really know if you love someone?" Lindsay continued, her gaze falling back to the bed. "I have feelings for Danny, strong feelings, but I don't know if you can classify them as love because I haven't even given myself the chance to get to know him yet. Worst of all, I haven't given him the chance to get to know me, and now I'm afraid that I just missed out on a good thing." She used the exact same words he'd told her that afternoon after she'd dismissed his advances for the final time. It brought a tear to her eyes having to think about how right he had been when he said that. "I wish I could go back and change everything. Maybe then I wouldn't be standing here feeling like the biggest jackass on the planet."

"But you can't," Stella reasoned. A long silence passed between them as Lindsay looked up at her, the sadness returning to her chocolate brown eyes. "However, it's not too late to tell Danny how you feel. There's a theory that people in a coma can hear what's going on around them, so why don't you just tell him now, that way, if tomorrow never comes, at least you got to say everything you wanted to say to him."

Lindsay looked back down at Danny, absorbing everything Stella had just told her. She sighed deeply before replying, "Can I have a few minutes alone?"

"Of course," Stella said, "Take all the time you need. I'll hold off Mac and the others until you're done." She gave Lindsay an encouraging smile before walking out the door, making sure to close it behind her.

Now that she was alone, Lindsay pulled a chair up to Danny's bedside and took his hand again, this time holding it in both of hers as she gazed at him, her eyes threatening to spill more tears with her emotions running rampant. There was so much she wanted to tell him, but with so little time, she tried to keep it short and simple.

"I'm so sorry, Danny," she began. "I never meant to be so harsh and so cruel. I never meant to hurt you. I wish I could go back and change everything. I'd tell you exactly why I stood you up for lunch. I was so scared of what might happen if we got together and found out that we really weren't as into each other as we first thought. But now I know… I know that you had feelings for me and that you didn't give up on me even when that one Suicide Girl tried to ask you out and you declined." Lindsay paused for a moment to wipe the tears spilling for her eyes with the back of her hand. In a shaky voice, she added, "If I could go back right now, I would have met you for lunch. I would have given you a chance, but I was so stupid."

The steady flow of tears that fell down Lindsay's cheeks clouded her vision as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat that had now formed. "Please, Danny, please forgive me," she begged, leaning closer to his face and brushing her fingers lightly over his cheek. "I love you. Please don't let this be the last time I get to say it to you. Please don't die. Please! I can't lose you like I lost so many others!" Her head fell against the bed beside his as she silently wept for her fallen love. She held his hand against her chest hoping he'd feel her heart breaking for him.

Several minutes passed before Lindsay heard a knock at the door. It opened as she lifted her head off the bed, revealing Stella in the doorway, her face clouded with concern. She immediately noticed the river of tears running down the younger woman's face and went to comfort her. "I got worried," Stella said as she sat down beside Lindsay and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Are you okay?" Lindsay only nodded, afraid her voice would give out if she spoke. "Flack is here, so is everyone else. They wanna see Danny, but I told them you needed a few minutes with him."

"I'm done," Lindsay shakily replied as she wiped the tears off her face and let go of Danny's hand so the others could have their time. Stella stood keeping her arm around the younger woman's shoulders in a show of support. They walked to the door together and were greeted with warm smiles from the guys. They all gave her a tight hug and reassured her everything would be alright. She tried to stay positive and smile back, but it didn't work out so well. Her mind was already spinning, especially after having finally admitted that she loved Danny and was scared as hell to lose him.

Stella noticed the emptiness in her eyes and pulled Lindsay down the hall with her. "Come on, let's get some dinner," she suggested. Lindsay shrugged and followed her to the elevators. They both needed some time away from the hospital in order to collect their thoughts, and now was a good time.

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Eeee! Happy mood day! LoL! I'm just a little bouncy right now, hehe. I'm so happy after reading all those wonderful comments from you guys! They've made my week! So glad you all liked that last chapter. That was definitely one of my favorites to write, aside from this one. Yep, I think I see many jaws a droppin' right now and I can't wait to hear about what you're thinking! Was it too soon to write that? Just wondering! Now you've got the method to my madness. But, alas, there's sooo much more where that came from. I'm nowhere near done with Lindsay yet. I can't leave that girl alone. She's an easy target! What can I say?!

Anyway, lemmie get down to thanking you guys now, cuz I got a lot of thanks this time around!! First and foremost, that anon person that gave me the correct spelling of Lindsay's name... DAMN! I didn't realized I totally overlooked that! HUGE oops on my part! Thank you so much for catching that! I definitely have to fix those first five chapters now. Thank you sooooooooooo much! I don't feel like an idiot anymore! Yay! And to you others: simbagirl, summertales, and Liffey, you guys are awesome! Thank you so much for your support I really really appreciate it!

peanut2lb: I couldn't stop smiling after I read your review. It catapulted me into writing this chapter because I just wanted to hear from you again! LoL! I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I try to put as much emotion as I possibly can so that people identify with the characters. So glad you're liking it! I keep thinking I'm not doing enough! Hehe. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart! You're definitely keeping me on track with this story!

chili-peppers: Aww! Thank you!!! I love writing touching scenes like those. Make-your-heart-melt moments are my specialty! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! I tried to put as many in here as I possibly could cuz it's so important that we see just how affect Lindsey is about what's happened to Danny. I hope I got that point across! Thank you so much for your wonderful comments!

Leanne: So glad to hear your weekend went well! And I will definitely email you sometime soon. :) Thank you so much for the wonderful comment! You're definitely helping my fickle muse by feeding her with your kind words! She's in a good mood right now, which is how I got this chapter up so fast. :) I don't wanna give up any spoilers or anything about the following chapters, but there will definitely be some Danny/Lindsey drama in there, if you can catch my drift. ;) And I totally know what you mean about couples sneaking into your subconscious. That's how I was with Roswell's Max/Lix, Michael/Maria, Fastlane's Van/Billie, and Alias's Sidney/Vaughn relationships. I could write and write about those endlessly! LOL! But now I'm stuck on Danny and Lindsey, so I might as well write until my fingers bleed and my mind goes numb, hehe! Thanks again for your wonderful comments!!! I can't tell you how much they've helped me through my hard times. I hope everything goes well with you. Have a great week and I hope you enjoyed this update. Can't wait to hear from you again!

bookwrangler: Double awww! Hehehe. I feel like a bubbling teenager again. I loved your review!! Absolutely loved it! And I expanded on that "Duh!" moment in this chapter, just for you. :) I'm so glad that moment made you smile. I've been trying to incorporate those moments wherever I can, because this story definitely needs them! And don't go thanking me! I should be thanking you!! You (along with everyone else) feed me with reviews that keep me going! So, from the bottom of MY heart, THANK YOU!

And, of course, my anon. people: Thank you so much for just reading! I can't believe this story's been hit over 4600 times! And I'm only on chapter 6! This is more than my other stories ever got in 5 chapters! enormous grin THANK YOU!!!!!!! YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!!!!

Whew, that was a lot of thanking. But I love doing that. Makes it all worthwhile if you asked me. Next chapter should be finished in a day or two. :) And coming soon... My holiday fic!! That's right, a sweet little Christmas fic involving our two favorite characters. And don't worry, this one will NOT be as angsty as the ones I've already written. Definitely expect more humor and romance with that one. :) Can't wait to hear from you all! Have a great day!

-DK


	7. Chapter 7

"Thanks, Stella," Lindsey said as the pair stepped out of the diner down the street from the hospital about an hour later. Both had sorely needed that time to regain some composure and get a breath of fresh air. They slowly walked down the darkened street, taking their time before having to re-enter their worst nightmare. The dinner had been a brief respite, allowing them to talk about things other than Danny, like shopping, shoes, and the days gone by. But Lindsey's mind would stray every so often, wondering if what Stella had said was true and if Danny had heard her.

"Anytime," Stella replied, knocking Lindsey out of the train wreck that would have ensued if she'd continued her thoughts. She linked arms with the younger woman and let her rest her head against her shoulder. "Tired?" she asked.

"Not really," Lindsey answered, her eyes focused on the sidewalk ahead of them and the hospital looming in the distance. "I just… I don't know. I've never liked hospitals and I really don't want to go back in there, but I know I have to because I can't leave Danny alone. I'm afraid to."

"Why are you so afraid? He's surrounded by capable people who can help him if he needs any help," Stella probed, looking for Lindsey's real reasons. There was something she wasn't telling her, and she was determined to find out what it was.

Lindsey stopped and turned towards her friend, tears present in her chocolate brown eyes telling her that she'd been thinking about this for a long time. "I'm scared… I'm scared that…" she was stumbling to find the words then suddenly changed the subject. "You know how you asked me if I loved Danny and I told you that it wasn't love…" Stella stared at her for a moment before she suddenly realized what the younger woman was trying to tell her. Lindsey began to fiddle with the hem of her shirt, fraying one of the fibers that were hanging from it.

"You really do love him," Stella softly finished. Lindsey nodded without looking at her as a tear dripped down her cheek and hit the sidewalk.

"I love him so much that it scares me to think I might lose him," Lindsey wept. She used the back of her hand to wipe the tears from her eyes before continuing. "I've lost so many people I've loved; my mother, my sister, my grandparents, and my last boyfriend, who also happened to be someone I worked with back in Montana. All of them taken from me before I ever got a chance to tell them I loved them. That's the real reason I took this job. I thought that if I left Montana, I wouldn't have to worry about losing someone I loved again. But here I am, that monster still on my shoulder, following me around everywhere I go. I fall in love and there it is, ready to take it away from me. I tried like hell to stop myself from falling for Danny because I was afraid something like this would happen, but I did, and now it's come to bite me in the ass like it always does."

Stella stood there, shocked by what she was hearing. Never had Lindsey been so candid with her in all the months they'd worked together. And now here she was, pouring her heart out like a little girl. She didn't know what else to do aside from envelop her in a compassionate hug. Lindsey continued to cry on her shoulder as Stella said, "I'm here for you if you ever need to talk about anything, okay? So is everyone else. We all love you, Lindsey, and we'll do anything to help you. We'll get through this."

"I know," Lindsey answered as she lifted her head and wipe her tears away with her hand.

"Don't worry; soon enough you'll be telling Danny to stop using the excuse that his foot hurts and do his job," Stella tried to lighten the mood as she pulled away from the petite woman.

That got a smile and a giggle out of Lindsey as she wiped the remaining tears away from her eyes and began walking towards the hospital again. "Soon, I hope," Lindsey replied.

When the two women reached the ICU, they were again greeted warmly by their colleagues with genuine looks of concern that were focused towards Lindsey. For her part, she seemed to be getting back to her old self again, albeit she was slightly more guarded. Mac was the first to notice the change in her mood and pulled Stella aside to see what she'd said to the young woman while they'd been out.

"It seems like you worked a miracle," he said once they were out of earshot.

"She just needed someone who would listen, that's all," Stella answered, keeping her words to a minimum to make sure she didn't reveal any of the secrets she'd promised to keep.

"What did you two talk about?" Mac pressed.

"We're women, what do you think we talked about aside from men and shoes?" she shot back.

"I don't know," he replied, getting the hint that she wasn't about to tell him. "Shopping?"

Stella burst out laughing. That was a response she hadn't been expecting. "Oh, Mac," was all she could say as she tried to keep it down when she heard one of the nurses down the hall shush her. He smiled back at her and went to rejoin the others near Danny's door.

Lindsey gave them a funny look when they returned to the rest of the group, but she didn't ask what was going on. She was just glad to see the mood was starting to lighten. It was sorely needed after such a long, hard day.

"Come on, we should all be getting home," Mac announced as he went to retrieve his jacket. The others agreed and started to put on jackets and look for keys.

"I wanna stay," Lindsey spoke up. They all turned to her, the looks on their faces each unique and full of concern. "I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I stopped crying hours ago and I don't feel like this is all my fault anymore. Please, I just wanna be here so Danny knows at least one of us is looking out for him."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Mac replied, concern for the young woman who now felt more like a daughter appearing on his face once again.

Stella placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Let her stay, Mac. It's not like she'll be coming into work tomorrow anyway. Department policy, remember? She's gotta take a mandatory three days off after something like this."

Mac sighed but gave in, "Alright, you can stay, but if I find out that you had another breakdown, I'm coming down here and taking you home. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," Lindsey answered as a smile curled up on her lips. "No more breakdowns, I promise."

They all said their goodbyes and headed off towards the elevators while Lindsey stepped into Danny's room. She sat down in the seat she had previously occupied at his bedside and took his hand, her fingers locking with his as she whispered, "I'm here and I'm not leaving you again. You can rest easy tonight." Kicking off her shoes, Lindsey curled her feet up beneath her body and let her head fall against the hospital bed, never letting go of his hand.

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A lil' somethin' somethin' before tonight's ep. :) I hope you enjoyed that. I can't believe I'm almost done with this story. Just a few more chapters left! Woohoo!! But I can't believe how many responses I've gotten to it... HOLY CRAP! You guys are all soooo amazing!! I can't even begin to thank you all:D But I can try...

A: Thank you for the review! I know, I've thrown Lindsay through the ringer in this story, but in the next one, it's Danny's turn. Hehe. Glad you're enjoying it!

PrettyEyes72: Soon, very soon! I just don't know if it's gonna be the next chapter or the one after... I'm contemplating. :D It seems like it could go either way. Thanks for the review!

chili-peppers: Yes, she LOVES him!! Hehehe. And like I told PrettyEyes, Danny will wake up soon enough. :) I just don't know how soon. And I love that relationship between Stella and Lindsey too. I can totally see it in the show as well. Anyway, glad you liked the chapter so much! I hope you enjoyed this one too!

peanut2lb: Ah, the pinky swear... Reminds me of my childhood. I had to write that in there. It made sense, ya know? Growing up in the Midwest, that's the kinda thing we did with friends when we needed to tell them a secret that the had to keep. And that line, HAHA! I just HAD to put it in there! It was too funny not to! While the conversation Lindsay had with Danny finally got to the point I've been trying to make through this story... Lindsay loves him, she's just too scared to admit it. You'll see more of that in later chatpers... :D Yeah, that was a spoiler. Aww, thank you for the boost to my ego:) I really really appreciated it! Thank you for all your wonderful reviews!

I Can Hear the Sea: Emotions, emotions, emotions! I love writing emotions! What can I say? The more of them your write, the more your readers identify with the characters. Emotions are what make good stories. And I'm so glad you can actually picture this happening! I try to write everything so that people can actually see it in their minds. I'm so glad you mentioned that. It really makes me feel so wonderful that my writing just keeps getting better and better with each story that I write. Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

Liffey: OMG! YOU MADE MY DAY! You wanna talk about boosting my ego, that was it! I musta been flying high ever since:D You really cried?! AWWWW!!! I feel so... I dunno! I'm touched that I could write something that made people cry! I know, it sounds weird, but seriously, I've been wondering about my abilities as a writer, especially when it comes to emotional things like that. Thanks for giving me the confidence I needed! YOU ROCK!!!!!

prplerayne: EEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY BETA IS BACK!!!!!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! I've missed you!!! So glad to finally hear from you again. :D What is up, my chica! Have a good time reading chapter 2, I see? Well, you did help me write parts of it, so I'd hope you'd enjoy it! LOL! Thanks for commenting, sweetie! I can't wait to see what else you've got to say about all these new updates. Take care and thank you over and over again!

simbagirl:D So glad you're enjoying this fic! So glad you enjoy this show!!! Hehe, it's not Fastlane, but DAMN IT'S GOOD! LoL! You get that email I sent you? I hope it helped. I'm not the best advice giver but I try. Thanks for the support and reviews! I hope you enjoyed this update!

crashdownmontana: I am in a wonderful mood! It seems like those four days off really helped my concentration, not to mention all the wonderful reviews I've received from you and everyone else. :D I couldn't agree with you more about reviews. They keep an author going! It's what drives me to write in the first place! Seeing people's reactions to what I write is something I really enjoy, be it good or bad. And I've had plenty of experience with both! Hehe. It makes you a better writer in my opinion when someone points out something that they feel doesn't belong in the story and you have to figure out how to fix it. Like that anon. person did last chapter with Lindsay's name and my flakiness on how to spell it correctly. Easy fix, but a REAL help in my book. :) I wish more people would do that, cuz I'd really like to know if I'm screwing something up that neither me nor my beta have caught. Anyway, thank you so much for your awesome reviews! I really appreciate them:D Have a great evening!

And all those that have read but haven't reviewed: Thank you as well! I'm surprised every time I post a chapter in this story and my hit counter goes up like 500 hits in an hour! LOL! Definitely makes me feel like this story is worth continuing. I hope that one of these days you will send me a comment because I'd love to hear what you're thinking!

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thanks for all your love and support! More story coming soon!

-DK


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Lindsay awoke with a start, her world slightly spinning. For a moment, she thought the last twenty-four hours had been an awful nightmare she'd finally woken up from, but opening her eyes and glancing around the stark white hospital room to see Danny laying there in the bed, she knew it had been all too real. The urge to cry quickly came and went when she remembered the promise she'd made to Mac about not breaking down again. Lindsay Monroe would get through this, just like she had with every other netative thing in her life.

It was the start of another long, tiresome day full of apprehensive anticipation and uncertainty. Lindsay anxiously paced the hallway while the doctors did more tests to see if Danny was responsive. She didn't get a clear cut answer out of any of them, only, "We'll know more in a few hours." After those few hours, she'd ask what was going on, but still got the same response. It wasn't until about noon that the last doctor came in. Lindsay faintly remembered him from the night before as Dr. Doug Stewart, but kept mum as he took a seat beside her.

"How are you holding up?" he asked out of the blue. There was genuine concern for her wellbeing present in his emerald eyes, something Lindsay hadn't seen with any of the other doctors that had come and gone that morning.

"I'm alright," she tepidly answered, still not certain whether he was for real or just trying to get her to go away.

"You scared us last night," Dr. Stewart continued. "It's been a while since I've had to sedate someone who wasn't a patient."

Lindsay tightly wrapped her arms around her upper body and folded her knees up so she was curled into a little ball. Last night was a point in her life that she really could go without remembering. Just the fact that he'd brought it up made her feel awkward.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Dr. Stewart quickly apologized when he saw her fold up and become defensive. "If it'll make you feel any better, I've got some good news about your friend." That quickly caught Lindsay's attention, her head snapping up so fast it looked like she might get whiplash.

"Is Danny gonna be alright?" she tentatively asked.

Dr. Stewart smiled at her as he replied, "Well, from the preliminary tests and CT scans we did this morning, it looks like he's coming around. The swelling in his brain has diminished significantly, so we might be able to see him wake up by this evening. He probably won't be coherent, but he'll be awake."

Several tears of joy dripped down Lindsay's cheeks as she gave the doctor a genuine smile full of appreciation and gratitude. "Thank you," she was barely able to whisper as she threw her arms around him for a big bear hug.

"You're welcome," Dr. Stewart chuckled as she let go.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to go make a few phone calls," Lindsay replied as she got to her feet and dashed out into the hall towards the elevators. Screaming for joy right now would only get her into trouble, which is why she waited until she was out of the building before letting out cry of joy and relief. Lindsay pulled out her phone and hit the first speed dial.

"Bonasera."

"Stella!" Lindsay practically shouted into her friend's ear, the tone of her voice remarkably happy. "Oh my God, I have the most incredible news!"

"Is Danny awake?" Stella immediately replied, her spirits skyrocketing.

"No, but he should be by tonight! I just talked to the doctor and he said Danny was slowly beginning to come around. He also said that the swelling in his brain had gone down, so chances are he might wake up soon!" Lindsay clarified, still beyond excited.

"That's… that's…" Stella was at a loss for words to describe how she felt right now. The deep relief that her friend would be alright was only the half of it.

"Incredible? Amazing? Wonderful?" Lindsay suggested as she laughed out loud.

"Yeah!" Stella answered, still unsure of what to say. "Wow… I'm so relieved! Hold on just a second. Let me get everyone so they can hear too." There was a pause on the other end as Lindsay heard the rustling of cloth against the phone's receiver. "Guys, its Lindsay. She has some news," she heard Stella yell. There was more rustling before the phone was finally put down.

"What's going on?" Mac was the first person she heard speak out of the group aside from Stella.

"Am I on speaker?" Lindsay asked.

"Yeah, go ahead," Stella answered.

"Hi everyone!" Lindsay nearly sang out.

"Someone's in a good mood," Flack tease in the background.

Lindsay chose to ignore him and instead announced, "I have incredible news! I just talked to Dr. Stewart and he told me that Danny's preliminary tests are showing he's making progress. The swelling in his brain has gone down a lot, so hopefully by tonight, he'll be awake!" Cheers erupted from the other end of the line as Lindsay pulled the phone away from her ear before she went deaf. It didn't take a genius to sense the relief emanating from her colleagues. It made her own body feel a little more relaxed now that there wasn't such a weigh pressed upon it.

"I'll keep you guys posted if anything else happens, and I'll definitely call you the moment Danny wakes up," Lindsay said amid the myriad of voices trying to speak their gratitude at once.

"Alright, we'll talk to you soon," Stella shouted above the rest before the line went dead.

Lindsay slipped her phone into her pocket and ran back to the hospital, her hope that this would be the one time that life would give her a break renewed. Her heart leapt with joy as she boarded the elevator that took her up the three floors to her friend's room. But Lindsay stayed back a moment before entering, trying to catch her breath and regain some composure. She knew the rest of the day would go agonizingly slow after such an adrenaline rush, but she'd make it through without going crazy, or at least she hoped.

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Sorry that took so long to post. Life got in the way. Damn all that snow! I had to dig myself out of nearly a foot the other day. And it wasn't fun that I was one of the few people that absolutely HAD to go to work. BAH! At least I finally managed to finish this tastey little tidbit of a chapter. :) Next chapter: You'll all finally get your wish. ;) No need for further explanation there! Hehe. And now, the thank yous:

PrettyEyes72: Lindsay definitely appears to be finding her strength, doesn't she? Too bad looks can be deceiving. (slaps hand over mouth) Okay, that was a bit spoilerish! Hehe. As for last weeks ep... OMG!! I was on the edge of my seat! That had to be one of the most dramatic one's I've EVER seen! It was EPIC! Hot damn! What an emotional rollercoaster! But the end... now that was friggin' awesome! WOOHOO! Way to go Danny! Hehehehe, I think I just got a little carried away! LOL! Thanks again for the review!

Leanne: So glad to see you're doing better! I know how much colds suck. I rarely get them, but when I do, it's hell on earth! I'm honored that the first thing you did was read my fic:D I love Stella and Lindsay's relationship! It's something they really need to pick up on in the show if you asked me. And I'm so glad you enjoyed Lindsay's little convo with Danny. That was the most touching scene I've written in a while. I miss writing the mushy stuff. I've gotta write more of that. Maybe in my next fic... We'll see. And O...M...G!!!!!! You were so right!! We were destined to meet!! I will definitely have to send you a few of my Alias and Roswell fics! You'll enjoy them!! I'll have to email you soon with those. I do have one up here, a Maz/Liz fic that I wrote a looooong time ago, if you wanna check that out. It's called "I Don't Know You Anymore." It's a little angsty tho. As for my Alias fic... That's too NC-17 to post here, so I'll have to send you a link to that one. ;) Michael Vartan and Jason Behr... Soooooo hot! Hehe. As for my fave Roswell ep... Man, if I can remember that far back! I'd have to say... definitely gotta agree with you on that one! Totally amazing ep! LOVED it! Thanks for adding me as your myspace buddy! I'll chat with you soon! Thanks for the amazing review!

dantevergil: Well, hello there! I don't think I've seen you before. :D Aww! You're the third person who's admitted to actually crying while reading this story. I feel so... I dunno! I'm honored, I guess! LoL! It's been a while since I've written this kind of emotion into a story. I didn't think I had it in me anymore! Thank you for reaffirming my abilitly to write yet again! I appreciate it! Oh, lord, do I know how weird it is when someone catches you crying in front of the computer after reading something like this, LOL! Been there, done that soooo many times! So glad you stopped by! Thanks for your wonderful review!

peanut2lb: Stella and Lindsay really do need more girl time. I hope they play it up on the show. That would be really cool. And thank you for noticing that wise ass remark from Mac! It was definitely one of those mood lightening moments that everyone needed. As for Lindsay pulling it together... This is only the calm before the storm. I'm getting a little spoilerish here because I'm not done with her yet! She's got plenty of unresolved insecurities and they'll play out soon enough! Hehe. It's fun messing with Lindsay, albeit a little mean. But it'll pan out. :) Thanks for the awesome review! I really appreciated it!

chili-peppers: So glad you're enjoying Lindsay's plight in this story! She's got so many issues, some of which I'm have yet to uncover. You might think that it's going to get easier for her when Danny wakes up, but I can't let her off the hook that quick! But don't worry, it's all gonna come together at the end. :) You were in tears too? Wow... I've made four people cry with this story. I'm so proud! I feel like I can actually write! LOL! Thank you so much for your review! I really really appreciate it!

Melting: Another newbie!! Hello! Nice to meet you! I'm so honored you're reading and enjoying my fic! Thank you! And you'll get your wish soon enough! ;) Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

Liffey: Awwww!!!! Thank you! And I know what you mean about crying at movies. I do that too! But when it comes to fics... I've only done it once or twice. It's gotta be one hell of a good fic in order for me to cry. The fic has to send me on an emotional rollercoaster, lol. Thanks again for your awesome awesome AWESOME comments! They have definitely made my week, if not month! Take care!

simbagirl: Hi hon! So glad you got my email and replied. I'll respond to yours as soon as I get the chance. Thanks again for the review. I'll talk to you soon.

I Can Hear the Sea: No he's not! Mac may choose to ignore things, but he's not completely oblivious to what's going on in the lab! That's been my rational for the longest time! Someone who's been in love obviously knows the signs. Hehe. Next chapter, you'll get your wish:D Thank you so much for the review! I was wondering where you'd gone off to! ;) Take care!

And, of course, the lurkers: You guys deserve every bit of thanks as those above. :D Just the fact that you're reading and hitting up my story is proof that I'm doing a good job and I'm actually engaging people enough to wanna read. I feel so loved! Thank you guys! You're all wonderful people!

Thanks again for sticking with me! More story coming soon!

-DK


	9. Chapter 9

Darkness; it was everywhere, swallowing everything around him leaving his world cold and empty. The weight of it pushed against him, holding him down as he fought to escape it. But it seemed like no use. Danny Messer was stuck in a perpetual black hole with no way out. It didn't mean that he'd give up. No, he was a fighter. He'd been through worse in his life. This was just another ditch in the road he'd climb out of and triumph over.

But the darkness was so heavy, rendering his limbs useless as he tried to scramble through the black muck. Slowly, it sucked the life out of Danny, leaving him to sink deeper and deeper. He was becoming desperate now, looking for a way out and hoping that someone would throw him a lifeline. No such luck; it seemed as if his efforts had been in vain as he slowly drifted through the sea of darkness. The feeling of hopelessness soon began to sink in when he realized that there would be no one to save him from this. He was destined to float in this black sea for the rest of his life. He hoped to God that it wasn't hell.

Just as he was about to give up hope, Danny heard the faint sound of a woman's voice in the distance. It took him a few moments to recognize who it belong to, but when he finally did, his heart nearly skipped a beat. _Lindsay!_ He wanted to cry out to her, get her attention, but his lips wouldn't move and his arms were too tired. Something amazing was happening, though. Just the sound of her voice was giving him the strength to press on. He might not have understood much of what she was saying at first, but for a fleeting moment, he could have sworn she'd said she loved him. Never had those words meant so much to him than they did now. They gave him a reason to continue this fight.

With renewed vigor, Danny fought the darkness surrounding him, pushing against it just as hard as it pushed against him, gaining ground little by little until it began to lighten. Black started to turn dark grey. The weight pressing against his body diminished. He could feel small, delicate fingers entwined with his own as another hand caressed his cheek. Again, he wanted to cry out, but his body was useless. Her soft, gentle voice continued to guide him away from the darkness.

"I'm here, Danny. I'm not leaving you," he could hear Lindsay say from somewhere above him. She was so close yet still so very far away. He kept struggling, wanting to let her know that he could hear her, that he was there too. Danny pushed as hard as he could until finally something happened.

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Ooh, a first for this story... A cliffhanger!! I know, I'm sooo CRUEL! Such a short chapter, but packed with a ton of gut wrenching emotion! Hehe. I've got a feeling you guys wanna kill me right now. So, kill me with your words. I'll take whatever you dish out! Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions? Spelling and grammer mistakes? Whatever you got, give it to me, baby! HAHA! Oh, god, I've gotta stop now. Onto the review responses (it's funny how these are actually longer than the chapter):

prplerayne: Yule log... YULE LOG! HAHAHAHA! You had me laughing all day after I read that. Same with Martha... Oh, god, I was in stitches! Naming the doctor Martha... You know you coulda killed me with that comment?! Like the first time?? You're so evil! But I still love ya! You are my beta and one of my bestest friends. Thanks for sticking with me, even when life has been shit. Sorry to hear about it. You know you've got a shoulder to cry on, so call me anytime you need me. Take care and thanks for the review!

Liffey: Thank you! I don't think there will be 8 more chapters before this fic is finished, but I guarantee that the tension between Danny and Lindsay will remain until the very end. :) And thanks for reminding me to put info about what happened in Lindsay's past that made her so afraid to open up! I nearly forgot to mention that! It's coming up in the next chapter, so I thank you for making that comment! I woulda felt like a real retard if I'd forgotten something so important. :D

peanut2lb: Hehe, I know someone who would appreciate that pregnant woman comment. At least you know Danny's finally awake now. :) As for the calm before the storm... Next chapter, Lindsay finds herself back in hell. I just can't leave her alone! It wouldn't be interesting if things just shaped up after something like this. No, there needs to be more drama if you asked me! Lots and lots of tense energy that gets released at the end, which I know everyone's gonna like, but that's all I can say, aside from I'll be getting to it soon. ;) Thanks for the wonderful comment! I really do appreciate it and I can't wait for your take on this chapter.

chili-peppers: Thank you!! So glad you're enjoying this story so much! I really do appreciate your reviews. They're always so much fun to read! So full of energy and spunk! Don't lose that! I really do enjoy it! And, look at that, Danny's awake! Next chapter... Drama. :D Again, thanks so much for your reviews! Have a great day!

fatkat: Hello! Nice to meet you! Welcome! Thanks for stopping by! I really do appreciate it when people come out of the woodwork and comment. I feel so encouraged that I'm actually doing a good job with this story. Thanks for sticking with me! I can't wait to hear what else you think about this story. Have a nice day and another big thanks!

Tiantian Wang: Welcome and hello! Nice to meet you! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! And thanks for catching that little spelling error. I really do appreciate it when people point that out, especially since I seem to just skim through things when I'm posting. And thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment! I appreciate that even more! Have a great day! I can't wait to hear from you again! One more big thanks for reading!

Melting: Shortly being the key word... At least I hope, hehe! Me and angst, two peas in a pod. The drama is definitely not over yet. :D I just can't seem to leave Lindsay alone! There's just a little more she needs to struggle through before I get to the good part. Hehe. Thanks for stopping by! I hope you liked this chapter too! Can't wait to hear from you again!

Everyone who's been silent but reading: THANK YOU!! This story has definitely turned into my most popular story ever thanks to you guys just reading it! You're AWESOME!! THANK YOU!!!

Stay tuned, the drama still isn't over yet! I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! I definitely enjoyed writing it. More coming soon!

-DK


	10. Chapter 10

The passage of day into night felt like an eternity as Lindsay paced the hospital room yet again, her nerves on edge. 'When is he going to wake up?' she kept asking herself, hoping that it would be soon. She was on her last ounces of sanity. If something didn't happen soon, Lindsay feared that she'd lose it again. The pacing had become tiring, and her feet were soon throbbing in her three inch high thick soled black leather boots. She sat down in her seat at Danny's bedside and kicked them off, feeling instant relief. After wiggling her toes to get all the kinks out, she curled her feet under her body and sat back.

Breathing in a deep sigh, Lindsay reached over and took his hand again, fingers interlocking as they always did. With her free hand, she gently caressed his cheek as she said, "I'm here, Danny. I'm not leaving you." Lindsay was tempted to bend over and place a soft kiss against his warm skin, but she held back. 'You've read too many fairy tales,' she chided herself. But then something unexpected happened; his hand twitched against hers.

The doctor had warned Lindsay that patients in a coma made involuntary moments, but this one felt different. She leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "Danny, can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me." Sure enough, she felt that gentle twitch again.

Lindsay's heart began to race. "Oh, my God," she breathed, bringing her free hand to her mouth to keep it from dropping. It started to shake violently as tears clouded her vision. She blinked and several went spilling down her cheeks. Finally getting over the initial shock, a smile crept onto her lips as more tears flowed from her eyes.

"I'm here, Danny. I'm right here. Oh, God. Thank you, God. Thank you," Lindsay babbled before bursting into tears of utter joy. With her still shaking hand, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She could barely keep it in her grasp long enough to call the lab, but somehow managed to press the send button. Lindsay didn't even wait for Stella to say anything before she yelled, "He's awake! Danny's awake! Get here quick! He's waking up!"

"What?!" came Stella's shocked reply. "When did this happen?"

"Just now!" Lindsay answered excitedly. "He squeezed my hand and then I asked him to do it again and he did! He's waking up, Stella! Tell the others! Come down here now!"

"Lindsay, calm down! I know you're excited, but you're overdoing it," Stella couldn't help but laugh at her friend's obvious joy. Hell, if she was in her shoes, she'd probably be doing the same thing, but Stella managed to show some restraint even though her own feelings were telling her to bolt out of her seat and tell everyone.

"I can't help it, Stella, I'm just so happy," Lindsay replied, finally taking a deep breath when she realized just how much of a racket she was making by being obnoxiously loud. There was nothing in the world that could wipe the grin off her face now. Life had just granted her the wish she'd made and gave back to her the one person she loved the most; Danny.

"And you have every reason to be," Stella said. "Now can you do me a favor and stop bouncing off the walls until we get there?"

"Yeah, of course!" Lindsay answered as she sat back down in her chair, taking Danny's hand again and gently squeezing.

"Good, we'll see you in ten." With that, Stella hung up.

Lindsay put her phone back into her pocket and turned to Danny. Her heart continued to flutter as she gazed at her friend, happy to see him regaining consciousness. "Oh, God, how I've missed you," she whispered, placing her head on the pillow beside his. In a moment of unexpected spontaneity, Lindsay leaned in and placed a feather soft kiss on his cheek then quickly pulled back, ashamed of what she'd done. She sat back in her chair, her heart beating rapidly as every possible thought of the repercussions this might have crossed her mind.

Suddenly, that overwhelming fear that had come over her the day Danny asked her to lunch came back as did all her preconceived notions about not being compatible with him. Lindsay was pushing him away yet again, her fears overpowering her love. As much as she wanted to acknowledge it, she was still too afraid of all the consequences it might bring. After all, her life hadn't been a forgiving one, and things could easily go from good to bad. It was better if she kept him at an arms length.

Lindsay's mind began to wander back to the dark ages in her life. Her grandparents had been the first in a chain of events that would lead to her inability to get close to people. At the tender age of eleven, she'd witnessed them get hit by a car as they pulled out of the driveway of her home. She'd been waving her goodbyes with her mother and her sister, Emma, when out of nowhere, a car came speeding down the country road they lived on and rammed into their old, rusty yellow Chevy truck, flipping it over and killing them instantly. The mental scars were still present all over Lindsay's heart and mind, which had brought about part of her reaction to Danny's accident. Although the two incidents were quite different, they held the same horrifying quality that instantly put her in a state of panic and distress.

The second event would come three years later, when Lindsay was fourteen and Emma was twelve. They had been walking down the country back roads on their way home from school one sunny fall afternoon playing I spy when they came across an old, unused rail bridge and Emma saw a butterfly on one of the metal girders towards its center. She'd raced towards it to see if she could catch it when one of the old wooden planks gave way under her weight and she fell through, hitting the ground twenty feet below. From then on, Emma would forever be confined to a wheelchair, having broken her back and suffered brain damage. Lindsay never forgave herself for being unable to stop her. It wreaked havoc for years to come, being known as the girl with the retarded sister.

Lindsay's mother was next in line, but for reasons that were totally out of her control. A few months after her 18th birthday, her mother had been diagnosed with lung cancer after having worked in the restaurant industry most of her life and being around second hand smoke. The bigger blow came when Lindsay found out her mother only had a few months to live. She spent as much time with her as possible, even leaving school to take care of her during her last few days. It was a time that Lindsay refused to talk about, watching her mother slowly die in front of her. The scars from this incident ran deeper than any other, leaving her already broken heart in little shards that had only recently begun to fall back into place.

But the final nail in the coffin came with Lindsay's last boyfriend, a man by the name of Gabriel Thompson, who she had worked with in the field. He'd been a sweet guy, with beautiful hazel eyes and sandy blonde hair she loved running her fingers through. After a year of flirting, he'd finally asked her out on a date, which turned into six months of pure bliss. Lindsay thought she'd found the man she'd marry, but fate would deal her another awful blow that would forever change her perspective on life and love.

It was the day before Valentine's Day three years earlier. Plans had been made to spend the following day at Gabriel's apartment, lazily discovering each other's like and dislikes when he and Lindsay were called to a crime scene in the late evening hours, forcing them to postpone their plans. A man had been found shot to death in an old, abandoned building off highway 90. The case seemed routine, but what followed would be far from it.

Lindsay and Gabriel arrived just before midnight and split up to examine the crime scene. Lindsay had taken the body while Gabriel took the rest of the building where more blood had been found in a room a few feet away from the dead man. As she examined the area around the body, Lindsay became engrossed in her work collecting evidence until the local medical examiner arrived. But what caught her attention as she was photographing the blood spatter against the wall was the sound of a struggle going on in the other room where Gabriel had begun his own investigation.

Slowly standing up with her gun drawn, Lindsay made her way into the other room, hoping that what she'd heard really wasn't much to worry about. But intuition told her otherwise. Dread slowly crept up her spine the closer she got to the door until a shot rang out from the room. Lindsay quickly kicked the door open to find Gabriel hunched over on the floor with another man standing above him, smoking gun in hand. The man pointed the gun at her, but Lindsay fired first, hitting him in the chest and killing him instantly.

She ran over to where Gabriel laid, blood seeping from a wound in his lower abdomen. Throwing off her coat, Lindsay pressed the garment against the hole, her eyes overflowing with tears as he desperately gazed up at her. His breathing became shallow as blood dripped from the corner his mouth. He tried to speak, but nothing came out. Lindsay struggled to keep him conscious and alert as several officers entered the small room, but Gabriel was going fast. "Please," she'd begged. "Please, don't die!"

Fate had been cruel that night, and a few minutes later, Gabriel took his last breath. When Lindsay realized what had happened, the scream that escaped her small body could be heard for miles. She had to be forcibly removed by several officers so the medical examiner could get to the body. No amount of time could erase the image of Gabriel dying in her arms, and seeing Danny in that same position the previous afternoon had catapulted Lindsay's already fragile mind into freak out mode.

What finally brought her back to her senses and out of her mindset was Stella's arrival with Mac and Hawkes. Lindsay still had her legs curled under her body as she stared down at Danny when she heard Stella softly whisper, "Hey," as she stepped into the room, startling the young woman out of her dark thoughts. Lindsay's eyes shot up and she plastered a fake smile on her face to hide the turmoil.

"Hey!" her voice also came across as a little too chipper when she stood up to greet her colleagues.

Stella noticed the change in Lindsay's demeanor, but didn't mention it. There was another time for that. Right now, the spotlight belonged to Danny. He was their whole reason for being here in the first place. "So, how's Danny doing?" she asked.

"He's coming around," Lindsay answered, that fake smile beginning to bother Stella. "He can hear you and respond. Go ahead, take his hand and talk to him." She left go and moved to the side so Stella could see for herself.

With some hesitancy, Stella took Lindsay's place at Danny's bedside and slipped her hand into his. She leaned down, gently whispering, "Hey, Danny… It's me, Stella." That's all it took for him to squeeze her hand, and instantly her eyes began to fill with tears. She turned to the others and said, "Oh, my God, he really is waking up!" Moving over, Stella let Mac take her place.

"You know what, guys. I think I'm gonna go home now. I've been here for the last 36 hours, and now that I know that Danny will be okay, I think it's time I got some rest," Lindsay said as she started to put her shoes back on.

"Good idea," Mac agreed. "You want someone to take you home?"

"Nah, I'll just take the subway," she replied.

"I'll take you home," Stella volunteered. She grabbed Lindsay's arm once her shoes were on and led her out of the room. "No need for you to be walking around by yourself at this hour when I've got my car parked outside." But there was another reason she wanted to take Lindsay home. She'd seen the fake expressions on her face and was becoming worried that something else had happened while they'd been at work.

"Alright," Lindsay shrugged as she followed Stella out of the hospital. For the most part, their ride to her apartment had been a quite one, giving Lindsay time to think about everything that had just happened in the last day and a half. With so much on her mind, she let her focus wane, her eyes becoming wide and distant.

"Talk to me," Stella said when she noticed the expression on the young woman's face go completely blank. "What happened today?"

Lindsay snapped out of her daze and stared at Stella for over a minute, trying to figure out what was going on. "Nothing," she finally replied, unable to guess what Stella meant.

"It can't be nothing. What's wrong?" she gently tried to coax it out of Lindsay. It earned her a long, drawn out breath followed by fidgeting, but she continued to keep her mouth shut.

"It's nothing, Stella, really," Lindsay answered.

"Lindsay, you can talk to me."

"Please, just drop it. I don't wanna talk about it," she begged as Stella pulled up to her building. Lindsay quickly got out, digging into her pockets for her keys.

Stella sighed, wishing she could do something to reach out to the young woman. Before Lindsay closed the door, she added, "Well, if you ever need to talk, I'm here." She nodded and turned, slowly walking up the steps to the main door. Stella knew there was nothing she could do, but at least she could remind Lindsay that she was there for her.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

FINALLY! And update! Sorry to keep you guys waiting. I know you've been wondering what the hell was going to happen after that cliffhanger. I really didn't mean for it to take this long to update. It was a depressing week for me, yet again. Very long hours at work, sometimes up to 14hr shifts that felt neverending. Inspiration didn't come easy, but last night, it came so hard and so fast that I just couldn't stop myself. (Hehe, that sounded REAL dirty. I guess you know where my frame of mind's at right now, LOL!) I guess all I needed was a little R&R after the week from hell to recharge my batteries and come up with this little gem. I told you Lindsay wasn't getting off easy, so for those of you who get pissy with me about that, you'll see where this is going in the end, and trust me, you'll be very happy when you see it. She's still got a few monsters in her closet that scare her to death and make her unable to persue a relationship even if she wanted to. Anyway, onto the review responses:

mercy4vr: Hello and welcome! Yay! Another newcomer! Thanks for reading the story and reviewing! Glad you're enjoying it! Hope to hear from you again. :)

peanut2lb: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. Yeah, that darkness equals hell thing really punched up that feeling of desperation, especially after all that's happened to Danny. Of course he's thinking this might be hell, but at least he found his salvation. :) Thanks for another wonderful review! I really appreciate it!

MeliBeckie: Another newcomer! Welcome and hello! Thanks for stopping by! No, I'm not trying to kill you! The chapter just seemed to end itself there. After all, look where it got us in this update. Even more drama than you could possibly imagine. Hehe. I'm such a horrible person, right? Letting Lindsay do what she just did? Don't worry, in due time, you'll see the reasoning behind the tangled web I weave in this story. And I think you'll enjoy it too! Thanks again for coming out of hiding and sending me a review! I really do appreciate it!

Tiantian Wang: Hello again! LOL, you're so right, the show is ripping us off! But then again, Anna is about to have a baby, so I can see their reasoning behind it. I'm hoping that after she has her kid, maybe then they'll finally punch up the storyline between the two of them! Cuz right now, it's driving me NUTS! And thank you for that wonderful comment! I'm glad you noticed the dream-like quality of this chapter. It was the best way to give everyone an idea of what Danny's going through and just how big of a struggle it really is to wake up from a coma. Thanks again for your review! I really do appreciate it!

PRTFCSI: Hello!! You're the third person that's come out of hiding and reviewed this past chapter! Wow, that's amazing! LOL! I get amazed by the littlest things, hehehe. Thank you for your wonderful comments! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. Sorry about that nasty little cliffhanger, but it was appropriate, especially seeing where this chapter took everyone. I know, I'm evil, not letting Lindsay experience as much joy as she should, but there's a reason to what I write, and you'll see soon enough what it is. Thanks again for coming out of hiding and reviewing. It means so much to me! Hope to hear from you again!

JenTWCSINYFAN: Hi! OMG! You're the forth person to come out of the woodwork and post a review! Thank you so much! I'm really glad you found my story. And I really appreciate that you're enjoying it enough to review! I can't tell you how much that means to me! Thank you sooo much! I hope to hear from you again!

chili-peppers: Of course Danny's gotta hear Lindsay's voice! And of course it's gotta be what keeps him going! After all, they make the CUTEST couple! I just wish they'd play it up on the show a little more, maybe get down to this whole business why Lindsay's too afraid to start a relationship with him! Hehe. Maybe after Anna has her baby. At least I hope so! Thanks for sticking with me and reviewing. I really appreciate it so much! Can't wait to read about what you think of this chapter!

prplerayne: And now it's stuffed cannoli... Damn you, Erin. You know exactly how to throw my mind in the gutter. I'm glad you're having so much fun with your fic! From what I've read so far, I seriously can't wait to see where all this is going, and I know you've told me, but seriously, I wanna see it play out!! It's soooo GOOD! And it's funny as hell! I love all the smart ass comments. They really fit the characters well! Hehehe. Awww... REALLY?! Name the baby after ME?! Honey, you're too kind! Really, you are! And I'd be honored if you did, but only if it turne out to be a girl. But I really do hope that it's a boy, cuz I absolutely ADORE the name you picked out for him. Darren, awww! You know how much I love that name!! Hehehe. And now it's my turn to give you a little dirty thought after you read this... Kumquat. Thanks for the review and thanks for being my beta!! Luv ya, chica!

simbagirl: I know I'm mean. I thought you already knew that too, lol! I mean, I put you through enough with Sub Zero! Hehe. I hope you got my email. Thanks again for the review! I appreciate it more every time I update! I hope you liked this chapter. Enough drama? Hehe. NO! It's never enough! LoL! Can't wait for your next review!

Melting: To answer your question: A week. LOL! Sorry about the wait. Life got in the way. But I updated, finally! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I was an evil bitch last chapter with that cliffhanger, but at least you're seeing where this is going now. ;) And don't get mad at me for putting Lindsay though hell again. I've got my reasons and they'll play out soon enough! Thanks for the review! I can't wait to see what you think after this chapter.

The Lurkers: I hope you come out of hiding soon. I really would like to hear from you. :) But thank you for just reading. I can't believe how popular this story has become! I mean, it's got more hits than my Fastlane story could ever get! Thank you so much for reading! I'm so glad your enjoying it! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

And finally, my parting message... As always, thank you for all your love and support! You have no idea how much it means to me! You guys are awesome! More story coming soon!

-DK


	11. Chapter 11

A blurry haze greeted Danny when he finally opened his eyes the next morning. The bright light shining in from the open window wasn't helping much as he blinked several times to clear his vision. He was able to make out a few fuzzy shapes, like the television in the corner and a chair at the foot of the bed; it was just the details he was having problems with. His other senses were as sharp as ever, though. Danny could feel the warm hand gently wrapped around his, but he couldn't make out the face it belonged to. It felt lithe and feminine, and immediately his heart began to race.

Another difference that Danny noticed was his ability to breath through his nose. The tube that had been shoved down his throat was finally gone. Now was a good time as any to test his voice and see if he could speak. With his first attempt, his lips barely moved and nothing came out. But Danny kept trying. He took several deep breaths before finding the strength to mumble, " Montana."

The person that had been holding his hand quickly sat up in her seat and gazed down at him. Danny could make out the faint details of her dark curly hair, but not much else, until he heard her voice. "No, honey, it's Stella." He frowned, not expecting it to be her. His heart sank when he realized it wasn't Lindsay's hand that he'd been holding that night.

"Wh… where… is she?" Danny struggled to speak, his voice coming out hoarse and raspy.

Stella could feel her own heart break when she figured out that she wasn't the one Danny wanted to see first. Gazing into his clouded ocean blue eyes, she could see the hope fading away quickly. "Lindsay went home," she tried to let him down easy. "She was really tired." That didn't make the situation any better, though. It made Stella feel like more of an ass.

"Is she… okay?" Danny continued asking questions.

Stella didn't know what to say this time. Physically, Lindsay was fine, but mentally, she was a train wreck. "She'll be fine," Stella answered, skirting around the question as much as she could. That was the safest answer she could give him. "How are you doing? Are you feeling better?" she completely turned the conversation around so that it was now about him instead of Lindsay.

"I hurt," Danny answered, closing his eyes as a current of pain ran from his collarbone to his brain.

"You want me to go get the doctor?" Stella asked, her voice full of concern.

She was about to get up from her seat when he replied, "No, it's not that bad." Danny turned his head, his gaze falling on his friend as the details of her face finally started to appear. His eyes were slow in to adjusting to the light, but soon enough, he could make out the troubled expression on her tired face.

"We were worried about you," Stella launched herself into another conversation, his sad eyes giving her all the more reason to keep talking so he wouldn't have to focus on the fact that Lindsay wasn't there. "It was touch and go for a while. We thought we'd have to plan for another funeral, but you're one tough cookie, Danny." He gave her one of his trademark grins that almost melted her heart. "I don't think any of us have ever been so afraid of losing someone, especially Lindsay." Stella quickly stopped talking, realizing she's just said too much.

"Lindsay was afraid… of losing me?" Danny's heart began to race again. That was all it took to confirm his suspicions that Lindsay still cared for him deeply, and that maybe he hadn't been dreaming when he heard her whisper those three little words he hadn't expected to hear. He'd be thinking about this for the rest of the day, even after Stella was gone and someone else from the lab had come to take her place.

Stella, on the other hand, couldn't believe she'd let something like that slip out even though he'd probably find out eventually. But right now, the timing was completely off, especially if Lindsay was having second thoughts about her feelings for Danny. She didn't want to give him false hope after seeing his heart break once already. Stella knew he'd been holding out for her, and only her. Lindsay was Danny's kryptonite; the one person that had stolen his heart and refused to give it back. Stella could only hope that Lindsay would figure this out before he moved on.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Finally, after nearly breaking my wrist in a very stupid accident yesterday, I managed to finish this chapter and post it. Don't worry, I'm fine! I can type and that's all that matters, right?! LoL! I can't believe it... There's only one more chapter left after this one and the story's finished. I'm about ready to CRY! I've been so warmly welcomed by you guys and I really don't want it to end! Ah, well... There's always that Christmas story I'm writing that should be ready to post soon. :D We'll see, though. I still gotta work out the kinks cuz I can't seem to find my rhythm with that one. Oh well...

BTW, check out my profile for a new wallpaper!! I completely forgot to mention it in my last post cuz I was in such a rush to get it posted. It's the least I could do to show my appreciation!

Onto the review replies:

messermonroe: Hi! Welcome! Nice to meet you! I'm glad you're enjoying my story:D I know all about impatient readers. I am one myself! I can't tell you how many times I've told people patience isn't in my vocabulary. LoL! Thanks again for stopping by! I really do appreciate it!

Melting: Thanks hon! It's been pretty crazy, alright! Like yesterday's wrist incident... It's all good, though. I'm managing. :) And yes, Lindsay's been through a LOT! Taking last night ep into consideration, I wasn't too far off in this story! Hehe. But DAMN! It still left me wondering what the hell happened to her back in Montana! Definitely gotta watch that ep again! Anyway, thanks again for another review! I really really really appreciate it!

prplerayne: And just for pipe organ... Geoduck. Stick that in your juice box and suck it! LOL! Pic war is ON! You'll be getting an email soon!

fatkat: Awww! Thank you so much for your wonderful review! And thank you so much for all your support. I really do appreciate it like I can never really express. LoL! How funny is that, the writer can really bring out the character's emotions, but not her own? I guess it's because it goes above and beyond. :) Thank you so much for your reviews! I really do appreciate them!

Tiantian Wang: You are too kind! Too too kind! I really do try to respond to everyone that reviews my multichapter fics. I take pride in it because I know that you all go out of your way to tell me how much you like my story, so I go out of my way to thank you for it. :D So thank you! I'd definitely love to see a mid-season D/L hookup, but what I'd like even more is if they'd draw it out until next season, let them slowly get closer and do some confiding in each other before it happens, because then it's more meaningful, ya know? I guess I'm just justifying myself with that. LoL. Anyway, thanks again for reviewing! I really do appreciate it! And this is only the tip of the iceberg. I really wish there was something else I could say, but I can't seem to find the right words. LoL!

Shelbers: Hello! Nice to meet you! Thanks for coming out of the shadows and reviewing. :D Yes, good things do come to those who wait. And that good thing is come up in the next chapter. Hehe. So stay tuned, because I've got a feeling you're gonna love it. :D So far, it's very very sweet and surprising. After all, I've led you guys on a wild goose chase with Lindsay, it's time you all got your reward for sticking with me. LOL! I can't wait to see your reaction to this chapter as well as the next one. Thanks again for stopping in and saying hi! I really can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

Franniecat: Oh my, another newcomer! Hi! Welcome! Pleased to meet you! You are so right, and Lindsay will get over her insecurities soon enough. Like in the next chapter. :D I know that's a total tease, but trust me, it's totally gonna be worth it! I know you and everyone else is absolutely gonna love it! So far, so good. I should be done in a couple of days, so hopefully I won't keep you waiting too long! Hehe. I hate doing that. I know how amazingly agonizing the wait is when you know something good is gonna happen in the next chapter but it's not posted yet, LoL! Thanks again for coming out of the shadows! I really do appreciate the review! Thanks so much! Can't wait to hear from you again!

Lady Elanya: Hello there! Wow... So many people coming out of the shadows! Thank you for stopping by and reviewing! I'm so glad you like my story. :) Thank you so much! I really do appreciate it! I can't wait to hear from you again soon!

PRTFCSI: I updated! Hehehehe. Aww! Did I really make you cry?! I hope I didn't piss you off with this chapter! Don't worry, it all comes together in the next update! Lindsay's gonna get to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Yay:D I'm so glad you're enjoying my story! I really do appreciate it when people tell me that. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside, lol! And believe me, I'm even happier that you found it! I absolutely love reading your reviews and I can't wait to see what you think about this chapter! Thanks again!!

Leanne: Hey, girl! Of course I gotta punch up the pain factor in Linday's history. They're doing a pretty damn good job on the show! Shit, you see yesterday's ep?! OMG! I was going crazy when they didn't elaborate more on what happened in her past! That tantilizing tidbit already has my mind spinning with possibilities for a new fic! Oh boy! There are just so many conclusions you can draw from it and so many places it could go! Anyway, thank you so much for your review!! I really appreciate it! IM me anytime!

simbagirl: I got your email. I hope you feel better soon! I'll try to email you soon. Thanks for the review!

The Lurkers: Thank you so much for reading my story!! I just hit a milestone because of you guys... over 10,000 hits! Woohoo!! BIG THANK YOU to all of you guys!! You all ROCK!

As always, I thank you all for your love and support! Best wishes this holiday season! Stay tuned, more coming soon!

-DK


	12. Chapter 12

It would be another week before Danny was released from the hospital and three more after that before he was allowed to go back to work. Almost everyone at the lab had come by to see him at least once, while those who hadn't been able to make it sent flowers, cards, or gifts. Danny was surprised by all the support he'd received, welcoming their well wishes with open arms. But what he really wanted was some time alone with Lindsay. She'd stopped by with Stella and Mac several times, but always seemed to find an excuse to leave early, never allowing him to ask her all of the questions he had on his mind.

During the forth week of his recovery, Danny returned to work, and even though he was still on crutches, he refused to take a desk job. His time was better spent in the lab, doing whatever he could to help everyone out. He'd been thankful that Mac understood his inability to sit at a desk all day reading reports and gave him light duty for the following month until he was cleared for active duty by his doctor. Danny's return was marked by a huge party his friends had thrown for him at the bar they frequented followed by a day full of well wishes from everyone else who hadn't been able to make it.

But there was still one thing that troubled him when he returned: Lindsay. Danny thought that maybe whatever she'd been going through while he was recovering at home would pass by the time he started working again, but she remained distant and even a little cold sometimes. They would still flirt with each other while in the lab, but it wasn't as fun as it used be. Lindsay had become too engrossed in her work that she sometimes wouldn't even notice that he was talking to her. It hurt to be ignored, but he held on to the hope that maybe some time soon he'd get his chance to find out what was going on.

Luckily for Danny, that chance would come tonight as the two of them spent the rest of their shift examining evidence from a case Lindsay had brought in earlier that afternoon involving a middle aged man with a gunshot wound to the chest. She was busy looking for any trace left on the victim's clothing while he sat beside her in one of the cushy desk chairs Mac had spared from his office, his leg resting on another chair from the lab, doing absolutely nothing. She'd glance at him every so often, disdain present in her chocolate brown eyes as she worked and he sat.

"Are you going to make yourself useful or are you just going to sit there and stare at me all night?" Lindsay was becoming fed up with the fact that even though he asked to be on light duty, he wasn't doing any. The only remotely productive thing he'd done that afternoon was turn on the radio to a top forty station that she was beginning to get sick of after hearing the same songs over and over again for the last three hours. At least they'd switched from rap and pop to some rock, now playing Nickelback's "Far Away."

_This time, this place  
Misused, mistakes  
Too long, too late  
Who was I to make you wait?  
Just one chance  
Just one breath  
Just in case there's just one left  
'Cause you know,  
You know, you know _

"My leg hurts," Danny shot back just to see what she'd say.

"Will you quit using that as an excuse and do something?" she angrily retorted, picking up the evidence bag that held the victim's suit jacket and throwing it at him. He'd caught it on handed and placed it on the light table in front of him. Suddenly, she began to giggle, remembering what Stella had told her. _'Don't worry; soon enough you'll be telling Danny to stop using the excuse that his foot hurts and do his job,'_ she'd said.

"What's so funny?" Danny quickly sat up and glared at her when she started laughing. For a second, he thought he'd done something wrong and she was about to kill him.

"Nothing," Lindsay answered, still chuckling as she picked up the shirt she'd been processing and grabbed a magnifying glass to see if she could find anything else. "Just something Stella said while you were in the hospital."

_That I love you  
I've loved you all along  
And I miss you  
Been far away for far too long  
I keep dreamin' you'll be with me  
And you'll never go  
Stop breathing  
If I don't see you anymore _

Danny quietly nodded, his mind ablaze with all the thoughts that she'd just conjured up by mentioning the hospital. It brought him back to the moment when he first woke up to the sound of her voice and the things she'd said and done. He clearly remembered her words and that she'd kissed him. Now was the perfect time to confront her about her feelings for him. They were in a confined space with only one way out, a way he could easily block by just scooting over slightly and not budging even if she tried to move him.

"Hey, Montana," Danny finally said when he gathered his thoughts and moved into position. She glanced in his direction for a moment before returning to her work. "Why didn't you visit me at the hospital? I was kinda looking forward to having someone sneak something other than hospital food into my room, and you're one of the few people who actually know what kind of coffee I like and how I take it." He tried to make the comment as light as possible so she wouldn't shut down like she had been when he asked her about the accident. It looked like it was working.

Lindsay straightened up a bit, her body visibly tensing as she stared straight out in front of her, refusing to look at him as he spoke. Danny could see the wheels turning in her head looking for an excuse. "I… uh… I had to see the department's shrink."

"Right…" he sarcastically replied, nodding slowing as he calculated his next move. "For a full week straight?"

"Well, I also had to work," she kept going, becoming defensive.

"Stop, right now," Danny ordered before Lindsay tried to make another excuse. He was sick of hearing her give him the run around. "For once, why don't you tell me the truth? I've had to sit here for the last two weeks listening to all your excuses, and I can't take it anymore! Now, I know you were in my hospital room the night I woke up. It was your voice, you words that kept me alive. So, why, Lindsay, why do you say such things to me and then run away?"

He'd called her Lindsay. He never called her Lindsay unless he was being dead serious. It caught her off guard and she tried to end the conversation by sidestepping him to walk out of the lab, but Danny had blocked the only exit. He was determined to get an answer out of her, no matter what it took. She gave up trying to escape and instead played dumb. "Say what things?" Lindsay asked, putting her hands on her hips and waiting for his answer.

Danny looked straight at her and answered, "You told me you loved me."

Lindsay's face went slack as her hands dropped to her sides. Stella had been right; people in comas could hear the people around them talking. She looked down at her shoes, unable to stare into those ocean blue eyes and lie to him. "I said a lot of things in the hospital because I thought you were going to die," she tried to explain.

"I don't want anymore excuses, Lindsay. I just want an answer. Do you love me or not?" Danny was practically begging as he stood up and took her face in his hands, making her look at him.

_On my knees, I'll ask  
Last chance for one last dance  
'Cause with you, I'd withstand  
All of Hell to hold your hand  
I'd give it all  
I'd give for us  
Give anything, but I won't give up  
'Cause you know,  
You know, you know _

Tears glistened in Lindsay's chocolate brown eyes when her gaze fell upon his. She really didn't want to answer his question and just stood there as two tears dripped down her face, his thumbs mopping them up just as quickly as they fell. They stood inches from in a deafening silence that even overcame the song on the radio. He held her face in his hands, his intense gaze overwhelming her to the point where she nearly lost it.

"Fine, if you don't say anything, I will," Danny replied. He couldn't wait anymore. In one quick motion, his arms encircled her waist, pulling her to his chest as his lips fell on top of hers for a deep kiss. Lindsay struggled against his strong hold, but was powerless to stop the feelings and emotions that ran through her at that moment. Everything she was afraid of, everything she wanted, everything she needed was all wrapped up in that kiss.

Without even realizing it, Lindsay had given in to her desires and became totally engrossed in the tenderness of his lips against hers. Her arms snaked around his waist, holding him just as he held her. It was a moment of pure bliss for both of them, and neither one wanted to let go until they were completely out of breath. Unfortunately, they wouldn't get that far, at least not right now.

_I love you  
I've loved you all along  
And I miss you  
Been far away for far too long  
I keep dreamin' you'll be with me  
And you'll never go  
Stop breathing  
If I don't see you anymore _

The door to the lab suddenly opened and Stella walked in holding a file folder with the results from the first round of testing. She hadn't been paying attention to what was going on around her, having become completely immersed in the report, and didn't realized that she'd just ruined their perfect moment until she looked up to see them pushing away from each other and covering their lips with their hands in an attempt to wipe off any remnants of their kiss. Danny hopped to one side of the room while Lindsay stood where she'd been standing earlier, their eyes averted to any direction by that of the other. It was an effort to conceal the grin that was beginning to creep onto Stella's lips, but she managed to somehow hide it.

"I got the results back from trace and thought you might like to take a look," she said before placing the folder on the light table. "I'll just leave this here for you guys so you can take a look whenever you have time." With that, Stella quickly took off, closing the door behind her as she let the smile on her lips grew into a full blown grin. 'Finally!' she thought, ecstatic to see that the two of them were making progress in the relationship department. Although she knew office affairs were frowned upon, Stella didn't care. Those two were made for each other, and nothing was going to stop true love.

_So far away  
So far away  
So far away for far too long  
So far away  
So far away  
So far away for far too long  
But you know, you know, you know _

Once she was gone, Lindsay glanced up to see Danny still gazing in the direction of the door. When he finally looked over at her, he could see that she was flushing red from head to toe, but a smile had appeared on her pouted lips. He gave her his own half smile and hobbled to her side of the room. "So?" he asked with that trademark half grin of his, still not having gotten an answer to his question as his arms wrapped around her waist again.

It was Lindsay's turn to surprise Danny as she threw her arms around his neck and drew him in for a deep, fervent kiss that finally gave them the opportunity to explore each other's lips until they were satisfied with what they'd discovered. Words couldn't describe the intensity of the passion and deep love that radiated from their lips and through every nerve ending of their bodies. It consumed their existence until they breathlessly pulled away from each other with Lindsay's fiery chocolate eyes gazing up at him. She leaned against his chest until her lips were beside his ear and whispered, "Does that answer your question?" Her inhibitions and fears were slowly dying, making way for what she felt in her heart.

Danny grinned before pulling her into another delightful kiss, his arms wrapped tight around her waist holding her as if he'd never let go. When it was over, Lindsay rested her head against his chest, eyes closed and smiling. "I love you, Danny Messer," she barely whispered, breathing in a contented sigh.

"I've waited so long to hear you say those words," Danny whispered back, softly caressing her hair with his hand as he bent down and kissed her forehead. "I love you too, Lindsay."

_I wanted  
I wanted you to stay  
'Cause I needed  
I need to hear you say  
I love you  
I've loved you all along  
And I forgive you  
For being away for far too long _

Her heart fluttered with his words, sending her to a place she hadn't been to in a long time, a place filled with warm memories and happiness. Lindsay felt a tear drip down her cheek as her arms wrapped tightly around Danny's waist, pulling him as close as physically possible. With her fears of losing him finally put to rest, she allowed her mind to wander, dreaming of where this new relationship would take them. She could feel him gently filtering his fingers through her hair and looked up, chocolate eyes shining, and said, "I'm sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Danny replied with a hint of intrigue.

"For almost getting you killed. For being so frigid. For being unable to tell you about my past. For being unable to say what I wanted to say to you all this time. For being so closed off. For…" Lindsay was quickly silenced when he pressed his fingers to her lips.

"You dwell in the past too much," Danny said, brushing her lips with his fingers. "Whatever happened to you back in Montana is history. All that matters now is that you love me and I love you and that we can start looking forward to a future together."

_So keep breathing  
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore  
Believe it  
Hold on to me, never let me go  
Keep breathing  
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore  
Believe it  
Hold on to me and, never let me go  
Keep breathing  
Hold on to me, never let me go  
Keep breathing  
Hold on to me, never let me go _

Lindsay wanted to cry. Never in her life had she felt this way about someone, and never in her life had she expected someone to feel the same way about her. It was a dream come true, and there was nothing in the world that could make this moment anymore perfect. She looked up at Danny, eyes still shining as another tear rolled down her cheek. He wiped it away with his finger and leaned down to kiss her again. Yep, perfect.

_**FIN!**_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sorry this took so long to post. I wanted it to be absolutely perfect before I did. :)

Yep, that's it. The story is finally over. I hope that was a fitting end to all the suspense and hell I put you guys thought. I definitely had a hell of a time writing this one. I think this is one of my best fics ever! It sure feels like it! I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed the ride. I might have gone through hell and back to finish this thing, but I did, just as I promised. I want to thank you all for being there for me and writing those wonderful reviews that kept me going even when I thought I wouldn't be able to. I'll get to those review responses in a moment. Right now, I gotta do a little explaining...

Where I got the title: Wasn't from that poem I posted at the beginning. I found that as an afterthought. It was actually from one of my favorite songs by Delta Goodrem, "Last Night On Earth." (If you haven't heard of her, check her out. I believe there's a D/L vid on youtube with her song "Lost Without You." If I can pull up the link, I'll post it on my profile so you can all check it out. It's real good!) The lyrics go, "If tomorrow never comes / I want you to know right now that I / I'm gonna love you until the day I die / And if tomorrow falls asleep / Can you hold me first / I'm gonna love you like / It's the last night on earth / Like it's the last night on earth." I was heistant about putting that up because I knew what impression I'd give you guys, so I thought I'd save it until now. I hope you do get a chance to check out Delta. She really is one hell of an artist.

The song for this chapter: Nickelback "Far Away." I got my inspiration for this fic from that song. I had been listening to it one day when the ideas just started to float into my mind about writing something that went along the lines of the lyrics, and that's how this story was born. I find inspiration in all the strangest places. I hope you liked the addition of the actual song into the story at the end. Which brings me to a few questions: What did you think of the song? Did it fit? Is there a better one out there that I could use?

Well, I hope you all enjoyed reading my fic. I definitely enjoyed reading all your comments! They've inspired me to continue and write more even when I thought I couldn't. Thank you all so much! I can't even begin to express my gratitude to all of you that read the story and enjoyed it. You've made me one hell of a happy person and now all I wanna do is write another story that's hopefully just as good as this one. I dunno, we'll see. I always tend to second guess myself when it comes to another story in the same category. I seem to have my swan song, and then it all goes downhill from there. I'm crossing my fingers that it won't be the case here.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, onto the review replies (and bear with me, I've got plenty this time around):

messermonroe: My wrist is all better! No more pain! Hehe. I hope you enjoyed the end of the story. Was it worth it? I hope so. I really wanna know what you thought of everything. It's like the final critique in one of my art classes, cept it's gotta do with my writing this time around. Anyway, a new fic is posted, yay! It's my Christmas fic, "Let It Snow." I hope you can check it out. Thank you so much for sticking with me during this story. I am forever grateful!

fatkat: Awww! Thank you!! I'm so glad you enjoyed reading it! I definitely enjoyed all your wonderful comments. I hope this was a fitting end to one hell of a rollercoaster ride of a story, LoL! So, what'd you think? I can't help but ask that question. Don't worry, you're not the only one I'm asking. :) Anyway, thanks for sticking with the story. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. And I hope you liked all the wallpapers I posted. :) What were your thoughts on those too? Hehe, I know, stop asking... Can't help it. Thanks again for reading and reviewing. Your comments definitely kept me going and I am eternally grateful!

Mrs. Fitzgerald: Hello, lurker come out of hiding! Thank you for the comment! I appreciate you coming out of hiding. :D And thanks for all your support! I really do appreciate it! I hope you liked the story. Any final thoughts? Just wondering. :) Thank you so much for reading and stopping in to say hello. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thank you for your support!

Franniecat: My wrist is all better, thank you! LoL! I hope you didn't bounce through the wall waiting for this update! Hehe! I hope you found the end a satisfying one. I know I definitely enjoyed writing it. Brings all the drama to a close, at least I hope. Hehe. So, what were your thoughts on the story? I keep asking everyone cuz I really wanna know, lol! I'm such a curious person! Anyway, thanks for sticking with the story! I really do appreciate your comments and best wishes! I am grateful for people like you! Thanks so much!

Shelbers: Stupid accidents do suck. I once slammed a car door on my ankle and broke it, but I can tell that story another time, LoL! I'm glad you like the analagy! I was trying to find the right words and must have rewritten it several times before I was satisfied... (I'm still not, tho, lol! I think I could do better!) I'm glad you enjoyed the story. I hope the end was fitting for all the Lindsay drama. What'd you think? Just wanna know. :) I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing, so I gotta ask questions, ya know? Anyway, I know you got my response for that second part of your review, so I won't go into it again. Thanks soooo much for reading my story! I am forever grateful for all your wonderful comments and support!

Melting: Don't bounce through the wall! LOL! I hope you enjoyed that last chapter and it fulfilled your expectations for a good D/L moment. So, was it good? Just wanna know. Anything you'd change about it? Or was it perfect? Ah, hell... I gotta stop asking questions. I know, I'm nosey! I can't help it! I wanna write a better fic after this one! What can I say? Hehe. Anyway, I'm glad you've stuck by me and enjoyed the story so much! I truly am grateful. Thank you so much!

Lady Elanya: You're welcome:) Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Uh, don't you just hate it when you can't write for medical reasons? I first broke my wrist back in 5th grade, and then this happened just the other day. At least it didn't turn out to be so bad. I still get some pain if I type for too long, but it goes away. So, how'd you like this chapter? I hope you enjoyed it. :) Thank you so much for taking the time to comment on my story! I am eternally grateful for your caring and support! Thank you!

Tiantian Wang: Oh, god, don't remind me of X-Files!! It makes me wanna cry that the show ended the way it did! I was sooooooo pissed when David left... ARG! Okay, stopping now... Hehe. I'm glad you liked the kryptonite reference. That was definitely one of my favorite analagies in this story, although I still feel it could have been better written. Anyway... I hope you liked this last chapter! What'd you think of the story as a whole? Just wondering how I could inprove it, ya know? Sorry I couldn't post this earlier! I hope your final still went well. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review my story! I wholeheartedly appreciate it!

my-sparkles: Hello! Thanks for stopping by to review! And thanks for sticking with me since the beginning! I really do appreciate it. I hope the end was fitting. How'd you like it? Hehe, I keep asking the same question in different ways... I know, I just wanna get a sense of how I'm doing and where I can improve. Anyway, I am eternally grateful for your kind words and support! Thanks for coming out of the shadows and dropping me a line! I really do appreciate it!

chili-peppers: It's okay! You still reviewed, and that's what counts! Hehe! I hope you liked the end? Did it fit with the rest of the story? Was it what you expected? I really do hope so:) Thank you! Thank you a thousand times over! Your reviews have definitely kept me going, and I do appreciate that with all my heart! I am eternally grateful for all your support! I can't wait to see what you think now that the story's over.

peanut2lb: Danny and Stella... They make a great team, almost like brother and sister, lol! Alright, so that was the last chapter. What did you think? Good, bad, ugly? Just wondering. How could I improve it? Yeah, I got lotsa questions when it comes to finishing a story. Anyway, I'm just glad you've been reading and reviewing, and for that I am eternally grateful. :) Thank you so much for sticking with me and enjoying the story! I hope the end was fitting and I hope to hear from you soon! Thanks again!

prplerayne: I'm blaming you for being unable to post this until today! LOL! Just kidding!! Furry handcuffs... Tinsel... Well placed bow?! Wow... And I thought MY mind was dirty! HAHA! Oh, you gave me a run for my money with that review! Although... Now that I think about it, those comments put some interesting thoughts into my head about what I should do to Danny next, LOL!!! But I'll keep it clean for the Christmas fic. You're awful, you know that? But I still luv ya!! Thanks for sticking by me through thick and thin, good and bad, smart and stupid. You've been one hell of a great beta, that's for sure! I can't wait to see what you think of the next story! Actually, I kinda already know, its the one after that I'm concerned about, hehe. Well, as always, I'm eternally grateful for your thoughts and words. :D Oh, and before I forget... Staten Island Pancake. Hehe, take that!

Leanne: I loved your suggestion!! Too bad I couldn't fit it into the end of the story. I guess I'm gonna have to save this for the next one! Yay! Hehe. Thanks so much for stopping by and reviewing. And thanks so much for becoming a good friend. :) You ROCK! Not me,YOU! Thank you soooo much! I am eternally grateful for your kind words and friendship. I can't wait to see what you think about the end of this story. I hope it's better than you expected. If not, any comments, suggestions, things I could change? Anyway, last week's ep... Definitely a brain tease!! Had my mind spinning, wondering what the hell is going on with Lindsay. What's is in her past?! ARG!! Now I wanna write a fic about it! LoL! Soon... Very soon... After the Christmas fic. :D

PRTFCSI: LoL! We all have our lazy days! I can't tell you how much I enjoy reading your comments! They always make me laugh! LOL! You remind me of myself... I've got that same twisted sense of humor. Hehe. And I do the exact same thing when I'm making comments over the internet. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Yes, the got together!! YAY!! I ended it on a good note. But the real question is, was it good for you? Did you like it? Gotta ask. It helps me write better fics in the future. :) Anyway, I'm so glad you've been reading my fic, and even more grateful that you've been reviewing. I can't tell you how much your reviews have helped me when I thought things wouldn't get done. Thank you. I am forever grateful! I hope this was a good read for you. Hope to hear from you soon!

simbagirl: Hi hon! I hope you're feeling better! I know, I haven't been able to send you an email in a while. Soon, I hope. Maybe after the holidays, when life settles down a little from the chaos. Anyway, I don't know where I come up with this stuff! I just seem to somehow be able to pull it out of my ass! LOL! (Just a note, there was absolutely NO sarcasm in that remark. I'm telling the truth!) I dunno... It just comes to me when I'm writing. I've been doing this for a very long time, so I've learned a lot from trial and error. Anyway, thanks for sticking with me, even tho I kinda swtiched categories from Fastlane to CSI:NY. I'm glad you're a fan of both shows too! Maybe someday I'll do a crossover. Maybe not... The last time I tried that... didn't work out too well. Thanks a lot for your never ending support! I can't put into words how much I appreciate it. I'm definitely forever grateful to have someone like you in my life. Have a great holiday and I hope everything works out well for you.

InOvrMyHead4Life: OMG!! blueBlackmorning! I cannot believe it! You actually came to read my fic!! OMG!! I'm so honored!! Thank you so much!! I know, you got into this quite late, but that's when you don't have to sit in suspense like everyone else has, waiting for me to update! You get to read the whole thing through! I hope you liked it. I can't wait to see what you think of it!

The Lurkers: I hope I managed to lure you out of hiding with the end of the fic. (Crosses fingers that everyone on my watch list will have something to say now that I've finished it!) So, did you like it?? Did you love it? Do you want more of it?! LOL! Okay, shutting up now, because I'm starting to sound like a total fool. (I was a cheerleader in a previous life, so sue me.) Thanks so much for just reading! Getting over 11,000 hits on one story just boggles me MIND! Every day I wake up and tell myself, maybe I will become an author someday, just because I know that people are taking the time to read my stuff, people like you. So I must thank you all, for if it wasn't for you guys, I wouldn't be here today. Thank you, from the very bottom of my heart!!

So, I guess this is my final goodbye for this fic. Don't worry, the new one's already posted. "Let It Snow." If you enjoyed this one, I hope you all get to check out that one as well. :) Thanks again, for everything. You've given me confidence to keep working on my craft and improving it for all the stories to come. Thank you all. I am eternally grateful.

Oh, and as a token of my gratitude, I've made one more wallpaper. It's on my profile page. I hope you enjoy it as much as you've enjoyed everything else. Thanks again! And Happy Holidays!

-DK


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